Three
by GemmaLisax
Summary: In a world where there are two mates for your soul, what happens when one of them is light and the other dark?  Bella and Edward are about to find out.  Jasper/Bella/Edward, vamps, DARK STORY, some slash, rated M for a reason.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer...no matter how much FF I write, I will never actually own Twilight. Sad, but true.**

**Mynxi, as always, has worked her magic over this for me. *grabs Mynxi's arse* Love ya, Treacle!**

**So...here's a new story. ADD still has priority, and 'Dracula?' But this has been in my head for a long ass time and I wanted to know what people think about it. So, read away!**

**Dream sequence **

_I found myself in my bedroom, sitting in my rocking chair and gazing out of my window…watching for something, just watching, just waiting. But not seeing, no, not seeing, not able to see through the opaque darkness that permeates the forest…a darkness that seems almost sentient. _

_I know I am dreaming, yet still I sit and wait and watch. The colours…the colours are all wrong, there is no light from the street lamps, no light of the moon…and yet I see everything…all cast in purples and blues, a surreal picture._

_Everything except the forest._

_The trees shine all greens and browns, shinning with their own light, reflecting something that I cannot see. Between and behind the trees there is only black…a nothingness void of any light, absorbing the life around it._

_Something…I sit, watching, waiting for something._

_The air changes, cools, electrifies…charges._

He_ is coming._

_No control, I lean forward…anticipating, wanting, waiting. A scream, so loud in the still night...shatters the calm and everything rains down in reds and oranges. _

_Everything, except the forest._

_A girl…a woman, runs out from between the trees. Scared, panicked…terrified. Clothes torn, bleeding, one foot bare the other not. Her hair a colour somewhere between blonde and brown, skin pale, eyes bright with fear…too much white showing around the brown irises._

_I am elated, warm, anticipating…fevered._

He_ is near. She can not escape._

_She starts for my house, screaming something…sound is gone, deadened. I do not aid her, I do not want to…this is her fate, and this is my love…my love come to show me what awaits me…what I am…what I am to become._

_He appears behind the girl then, so suddenly, so very fast and silent. Fast, silent, and deadly. She is still crying for my aid, for my sympathy…for me to play saviour, on her knees and hands clasped tightly as she begs for my mercy._

_I laugh out into the silent air, no sound, only vibrations and the answering smile from _Him_. She freezes, fights to breathe, and slowly…ever so slowly…she turns, already knowing the answer. Already knowing that he is behind her._

_As soon as their eyes meet she calms, she relaxes…she smiles. All woes forgotten. The game is on._

_I feel his power working, worming it's way inside her, wiping away her fear and confusion…leaving only lust and need and desire, manipulating her, making her His. His to take…His to share._

_She leans up as if to accept a kiss and He answers…though his lips fall to her neck…cover her pulse. His teeth, shinning in the unseen light and then red, ribbons, gush…dark, wet, warm, luscious. Filled with life, filling him._

_He feeds and I hunger, I need…I _want_. I feel him, inside me, within me, everywhere. In, out, in, out. My breathing quickens, my body tightens and with the last drops of life's blood from her neck, I spasm and cry out with ecstasy. Nirvana._

_Then he is there, and the world is right…the world is good…nothing else matters but us…together…eternally…bathing in blood._

I was being shaken, and shouted at. I opened my eyes, knowing that I must have been screaming aloud again. Edward's face was shinning in the moonlight, all beauty and grace…and so much love, all good things to chase the nightmare away.

"You were screaming again, Love. I have been trying to wake you for at least four minutes…you wouldn't respond." His voice was tight, still smooth like velvet running over silk…but tight all the same.

"I'm sorry Edward, I hate that this worries you so much," I whisper, guilt filling me from the horrific nature of my dreams. I wrap myself around him and cling, because I need to feel real again.

The dreams started a month ago, at first only every few nights, but this past fortnight they have woken me every single night. Each time it is exactly the same, the feelings, the colours and the players. Each time I watch a girl, nameless in my dream, brutally attacked by a nameless vampire. I know that I have seen his face, but I can never remember it, just an impression. The feelings that the dreams invoke within me are so foreign. I always wake up screaming, utterly disgusted with myself. It is as if the closer to consciousness that I come, the less hold He has on me, and I can see what kind of monstrous terror I become in the dream.

I have told no one the details; I don't want to let a bunch of vegetarian vampires know that I'm getting off each night to the vision of someone being drained of blood. Yep, definitely do not want to have that conversation.

But Edward worries, of course he does, he loves me as I love him and he can't help but worry. I know he wants me to tell him, I know that he has caught my lies about remembering it…but like the good boyfriend that he is, he won't push me to tell him. Although I have a feeling that his patience is wearing thin.

"Talk to me Bella, every night you scream in your sleep. Tell me what has you so scared, what chases you in your dreams?" He asked quietly, earnestly, caring.

"Its…I don't know Edward. I don't know what to tell you, my brain's defective, you know this." I joked, trying to alleviate some of the tension.

His cool finger tips brushed against the skin of my cheek, I closed my eyes and leaned into his touch. So gentle, so loving.

"I know that whatever it is makes you uncomfortable to talk to me about, but it is getting worse Bella, every night your sleep is interrupted."

I sighed. "I know, just let me think about it? Help me back to sleep; I think it will be easier to talk about during the day. Please?"

"Of course love, lie down and close your eyes."

I did, snuggling close to his cold hard frame, letting his soothing voice sing me into a thankfully dreamless sleep.

Saturday was to be an unusually sunny day in Forks. Edward and I made our way to his house before the sun was due to break through the clouds, wouldn't do for the population of Forks to see Edward sparkling. Might turn a few heads.

Everyone else was out for the next few hours, hunting and taking advantage of the sunshine and more than likely, each other. Of course, this leaves Edward and me the house to ourselves; which is always a good thing.

The sun shone brightly inside the living room, the floor to ceiling windows allowing the light to shine throughout the lower level. Edward was…well, he was breathtaking as he walked towards the kitchen, prisms of light refracting off his exposed skin. Its times like this that I have to resist the urge to pinch myself; how the hell did I manage to end up with a god like hunk of immortal goodness, as my boyfriend. Hell, boyfriend doesn't even begin to cover him…soul mate, mine for all eternity.

The air shifted, my hair blew around my face and I jumped when I felt Edward wrap his arms around me from behind. The whole vamp super speed is something that still manages to shock the hell out of me.

I felt rather than heard Edward's laughter, my smart ass remark died on my lips when he brought me flush against his chest.

"So…we have the house to ourselves for a while."

Now, if his comment suggested what I wanted it to suggest then I would be getting all kinds of excited right about now. But, I knew Edward and seeing as he won't even put his tongue in my mouth, I'm guessing that he isn't after us taking advantage of the alone time by getting all naked and sweaty. So I just didn't say anything, letting him take the lead. It's always better than the embarrassment and hurt that comes along with his rejection. I understand the dangers, which is why I'm not pushing it at the moment; I just don't see how this will work in the long run. Seriously, if he won't change me then the future is pretty bleak. No sexual contact, wrinkles, and an eternally beautiful boyfriend to rub my face in it. Fabulous.

Edward moved my hair away from my neck, draping it over the opposite shoulder. I shivered as his cool breath whispered over my skin leaving goose bumps in its wake. All the time I think that it really is a pity that we can't go further, because if this is how he makes me feel with minimum contact, then I know the rest would be truly mind blowing. I jumped slightly at the shock of his lips on my throat, ghosting back and forth and then with more pressure. The smooth hardness of his lips, ice cold and exquisite, I could so easily lose myself to his touch.

He found his way to my ear and took the lobe into his mouth, sucking gently. I cried out, both in pleasure and surprise. One arm snaked around my waist, holding me up and the other caressed my, that I had instinctively thrown up and around the back of his head.

"Bella, my sweet Bella. Your dream last night was more revealing than usual" he murmured directly into my ear. _What the hell is he talking about?_ "You called out wordlessly in your sleep, but there was no fear. Only need. I witnessed you writhe in ecstasy, Bella. It was the most beautiful thing."

I swear that if my dad had turned up naked in front of me, it wouldn't have ruined the moment more, than his reminding me of _what_ had brought my release in my sleep. I stiffened and walked away from him, he let me of course, most likely at a complete loss at my refusal of his advances. Since when the hell did I ever refuse? Never.

It's not like I can explain it to him either! I hardly think that admitting that another man, one that I can't remember at that, made me come to a screaming climax by killing someone in front of me. Yeah, that'd work. Not.

"Bella, did I do something wrong? You seemed to be rather enjoying yourself before you walked away." His voice was so tender and loving and in that moment I hated myself. I sat down on the sofa, elbows resting on my knees whilst my hands cradled my head. _Get a grip Bella, get a goddamn grip!_ "It wasn't me was it, in your dream I mean?"

Dread is a cold and painful emotion, it steals your breath and makes you feel like someone has shoved an icicle through your chest and frozen your lungs. That about summed up how I was feeling right then and there.

"Edward…I…god, I don't know who it is in my dreams." I went for the truth, just left out that I was sure that it wasn't Edward. I looked at him when he took my hands. "Honestly, I know that I can see him during the dream…but not once have I remembered his face after waking up. But you bringing it up, I felt guilty. I…" I trailed off, not wanting to explain the rest of my reasoning.

"Hey, it's OK…I should never have brought it up. There is obviously something else that happens towards the end that causes you to cry out in fear, and it can't be good. The human subconscious is a mystery, even to me, dreams seldom make sense. Is the dream the same each time?"

"Yes, every single time. Nothing has changed."

"So you remember them clearly enough to know that nothing changes from dream to dream?"

Ah, yes…he's caught me. _Stupid Bella…stupid, stupid Bella. _I sighed. "Yes, I remember everything apart from the man. I didn't want to lie to you, but I said I didn't remember because I desperately do not want to talk about it."

"If this were some random thing, I would never presume to pressure you. But this dream has come to you more and more, to the point that it is every single night. Your reactions are astonishing, so I know that it must be incredibly vivid. But the ending...your screams and your fear...Bella, I can always smell how scared you are, how terrified. Please, you have to let me in. You have to talk about this." Edward pleaded, he used everything…his voice, his eyes. Shit.

I looked down, not wanting to meet his gaze. "You'll hate me if I tell you, Edward. I hate myself."

He stood up and walked to the windows and just for a few minutes, stared into the forest. When he turned back to me his fingers were pinching the bridge of his nose and his eyes were closed. I hated myself for causing him such turmoil.

"In normal circumstances, I would not push for answers, I promise you that I would normally leave you to your musings. But Bella, this is obviously a problem…one that can only be bettered if it is talked through. I can assure you, _promise you_, that there is nothing in this life that could make me hate you or think any less of you. I love everything about you. I love you with my whole being. Just please talk to me, Bella. Talk to me. Tell me what it is that is eating away at you, that is making your sleep so full of horror that you awake screaming. It scares me, Bella."

"Stop it Edward, just stop it. Stop pushing me to tell you something that I can't! Please, please just leave it. It's a dream, a nightmare…nothing more." I pleaded with him.

"No, not this time Bella. I won't sit by and watch you cower in your sleep, smell your fear at a time when you should be peaceful. I _can't_ just stand by and do nothing. Damn it Bella, I love you…_I love you_." The first stirrings of anger had crept into his voice.

It was my turn to stand up, I walked away from him, pacing, trying to calm down, to find away around this. Could I tell him the truth? Would he still look at me the same way? I know that the desires and pleasures that I find in the nightmares are something so alien to me, that they are the reason for my screams. But will he understand? I can't imagine any one understanding that. Hell, there are times that I worry that somewhere deep inside me there is enough darkness to warrant such macabre and sick fantasies. Where else would they come from?

But, what other choice did I have? I could walk out, we would fight and then what would happen? If I kept true to my stubborn streak and refused to talk to him about this, would he stop being there for me if I don't allow him this? Crap.

"Fine. Fine, I'll tell you. No questions, not until the end." I didn't look back at him.

"Anything Bella, anything, just let me help you." Good grief, I could almost feel his elation.

"I am always sitting in my bedroom, looking out of my window. After a while a girl comes running out from between the trees, screaming at me to help her, but I just…" I fought to keep my voice steady. I always hated remembering this part. "I just watch her, watch her scream, watch her call for me. I do nothing...I enjoy her fear." I shook my head and stare at the ceiling, picturing her tear stained face, so open and frozen at the same time, and frightened beyond reason. "Then _he_ comes and I can feel him do something to her and she stills, just calms right down. Hell, she looks happy to see him, excited, aroused even, though I know that _he_ is the one that she has been running from. She smiles at him, leans into him for God's sake. All the while my anticipation grows, excited and elated at what I am about to witness. I feel everything that she feels. _He _moves as if to kiss her, but he goes for her neck instead. That's when he lets her feel what she should be feeling, when she starts to scream and struggle. But I still feel the desire, the need and absolute pleasure…the blood lust." I swallowed convulsively, my voice barely audible even to my own ears, cracking slightly as I continue. "He bites her and I can feel it, taste it…I know its texture and the energy, the life that it possesses. I feel all of it. All of this time, _he_ has been looking at me, watching me. Smiling at me. He knows me, he _knows _me Edward, but I have no idea who _he_ is. After I…finish, I'm myself again and I see what he has done and know what it makes me feel. That's what makes me scream, the horror of what I felt. Nothing chases me in the dark, or jumps out from the shadows. Just me and the disgust and horror at myself and the man that made me feel that way."

Nothing, nada…silence. For all I knew, Edward had made a run for it and left me standing here, tear stained and afraid. Hating the weakness that I was feeling in that moment I turned around, ready to face whatever he had to throw at me. Expecting a look of shocked disgust to be on his face, just before asking me to leave the house. Instead, his face is full of such compassion that I almost fall to my knees in relief that he doesn't hate me. I say almost because that's when I notice that the rest of the family were standing close to the door. Just staring at me, their faces ranging from sorrow to compassion to shock.

**You know the drill, let me know what you think! Should i continue? *smoochies***


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N First of all...huge big boobie gropes to my wonderful beta who has been on my arse to get this out and finally cracked my dickheadEx induced writers block with some choice and rather yummy pics. She also had a rather devilish idea that I've used whole heartedly and so THANK YOU, Mynxi...love and sloppy kisses to you. MWAH!**

********WARNING****** PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS SOME VERY DARK CONTENT IN THIS CHAPTER. ESPECIALLY IN THE FLASHBACK. I SUGGEST THAT ANYONE OF WEAK DISPOSITIONS JUST SKIP THAT PART, PLEASE AND THANK YOU. Don't say I didn't warn you *looks stern***

_**J~P~O~V**_

I had three types of meals that I liked to go for; the pretty boys, the voluptuous girls and the asshole idiots that think they know it all. There really is nothing like introducing an asshole to his own idiocy, just before I make him writhe in agony as I eat him. It was the latter one that had caught my attention tonight.

The hunt isn't just about locating and stalking your prey, it's about finding the fun in the death. When you live forever you have to make your own entertainment. This particular asshole became a blip on my radar when I heard him ranting at his spouse. She was doing her best to try and get him calm, reminding him of episodes and cycles. Apparently he had some sort of mental disorder, or at least she thought he did. But I can sense evil, smell it. So it didn't surprise me one bit when he I heard him hit her and her whimper in pain, her fear escalated along with her determination. I smiled, it was an admirable trait, not giving up, always fighting back, and they always made for a better meal, something about the strength in their blood. He hit her again and I picked up my pace, ducking into the shadows to enable me to move faster towards the house.

I looked in through the window; she was on the floor while he loomed over her. He was shouting again, his points changing with everything that she said. He didn't care about sense or logic, he was a hypocrite and adapted his points to do nothing but disagree with hers. She was scared, she was really fucking frustrated, and her patience was coming to an end. He missed her eyes dart to a pair of crutches leaning against the wall, but I didn't and I smiled once again at this woman's tenacity.

Nevertheless, he was my meal and she wouldn't be the one to carry out justice on this poor excuse for a human. No, that was to be my pleasure.

I knocked on the door just as her determination cemented it's self, they both stuttered in their actions and to my pleasure it was him that came to the door. His irritation was like a battering ram as he flung the door open, his already small eyes narrowed into slits. He thought he was "the man", thought he was strong. He was about to be taught a lesson.

I smiled wide, enjoying the look of confusion and fear that overcame his features. And I enjoyed it even more so when he backed up slightly and started to stammer something. It didn't matter what he said, my throat was on fire, my instincts were honed and I grabbed him by the neck and threw him back into the house. Quickly, I entered the abode and closed the door behind me, he was sputtering and wheezing on the floor, trying to breathe. I had crushed his windpipe just enough that breathing was almost impossible and the meagre amount of oxygen that he was drawing in was doing nothing other than prolonging his torture. I wanted to take pleasure in this kill, prolong it as long as my bloodlust would allow. Which, granted, wouldn't be all that long. Well, not for me, for him it would feel like a whole lot longer.

The woman made her appearance then, staring in shock at me. She would have been beautiful, if she had been taken care of. I could see the potential; what this scum had stolen from her. She looked tired, black circles under her eyes, lines that had taken root prematurely on her face. She _was_ tired, tired of everything that this bastard had forced upon her. But not living, no she fought to live, she was ready to fight him. She still had that need to get past him, to be more than him. She stood there; didn't make a sound, no screams or pleadings of mercy for herself or her husband. Even so, I sent her a good dose of trust and peace. It wouldn't do for her to find her voice once she witnessed what was about to happen.

I stalked my prey, cocking my head to the side and laughing lightly as he tried to scramble away from me. Funny how difficult it is to move when you're body is being deprived of enough oxygen to function properly. Still, a human tends to be stubborn in its last moments, that survival instinct that they talk and theorise about so much. It's what makes the hunt so much goddamn fun, that they fight even when it's beyond futile.

Keeping the woman in my peripheral vision, I closed in on the asshole, upping his fear every so often. It was always amusing to toy with human emotions, they may not feel as strongly as vampires, but they are so very easy to manipulate. I grabbed his ankle, not bothering to be gentle and the sharp snap of bone shocked the room. I smiled as he wheezed in pain, wishing that I'd had the luxury of allowing him to scream, and chuckled as the woman didn't even flinch, she just watched with calm and probably morbid fascination. It didn't matter to me, that she was quiet was all I wanted.

I let the shit try to scream for a few seconds before I hauled him up into the air by his ruined ankle, throwing him up and catching him by his throat on his way down. What can I say? I like to play with my food. I brought him close enough to whisper into his ear.

"I should do more than this, I should take you somewhere quiet, where I can work on you in peace and your screams are there for nothing more than my amusement."

I wasted no more time, biting into his neck, my teeth slicing through his skin as if it were nothing. His blood was thick, slightly bitter from alcohol consumption and nicotine, but blood is blood, and it is always sweet. I pulled it down in long swallows, my throat convulsing around the warm velvet liquid, lost in a haze of blood I crushed his shoulders without thinking. This bastard's last fighting move was to convulse just once. Just once and then...nothing.

I dropped him without thought, my attention once again on the woman. She was where I had left her, watching me, silent. I moved towards her, stalked her actually. My eyes would still be black, my thirst not entirely sated, my mindset still set in that of a hunter. A predator. Still, I didn't let her flinch. This was never about saving this woman, this was about my sustenance, my meal. She would just be second course; dessert. But her death wouldn't be about fear and pain. While I might not care enough to spare her life, I wanted her to go out with a bang, a man's got to reaffirm his ego.

I reached her, looming over her and looking down. She looked up at me, her eyes wide and pupils beginning to dilate as I changed the emotional template that I was using on her. I smirked lazily as her arousal began to scent the room. Her lips parted, her pulse throbbing in her neck, her blood rushing and heating and becoming even sweeter. Her breathing became pants and she moved for the first time, her legs moving back and forth as she tried to relieve that fire that was going on in her groin. No doubt, this would be the best orgasm of her life, I doubted that fucknut over there would've been able to do anything other than make sure he was finished.

I didn't intend to take long; there was no intent to touch her, I simply amped up her pleasure until she was just about to explode. I leant down, brushing my lips against hers and then shot her full of ecstasy. Her scream as I bit down into her neck was throaty and distorted with the force of her orgasm. She didn't feel the sting of my teeth or the burn of my venom. She was in a state of nirvana until she lost consciousness. Her lifeless body fell to the floor as I wiped my mouth, licking my fingers and savouring her taste. Arousal really does add a certain musky sweetness to a meal.

"Always have to play with your food, don't you, Major." An amused voice intoned from behind me.

I laughed, turning to see my right hand man and second in command standing in the doorway. I walked over to him and ran my nose along his cheek, I made sure that my thigh was pressed against his burgeoning erection, and then spoke low into his ear, "You're jealous, I can make a woman come so hard she forgets her own name _and_ that I do it without touching her?"

I chuckled as I felt his lust become tinged with frustration as I walked past him, I laughed outright when I heard his muttered 'tease' while I walked out the door. Peter and I had an interesting relationship, throw in his mates and we usually had something to keep us busy on our down times. Having a mated trio to play with has helped me keep busy and my mind off shit that it had no business dwelling on. I had found one of my mates, spent a decade together filled with blood and sex. Until his conscience had gotten the better of him and he'd run back to his _family_. I growled quietly at the thought, he'd gone back to feeding from animals, it's just so unnatural.

I forced myself to get back to the matter at hand and the two bodies I had left behind.I didn't worry about disposal, Peter would handle that shit. I walked away from the house, and the whooshing sound of flames hit my ears a couple of minutes later and Peter re-joined me soon after that.

"Seems they had a gas leak. Ain't that a bitch?" he said as he fell into step behind me, adjusting his still hard cock in his pants and making sure that I saw.

"You're such a fucking fire bug, Peter," I said, making a turn that would take us to our car and ignoring his action.

I saw Peter shrug out of the corner of my eye. "Get's the job done, don't it?"

"That it does, Peter, that it does." I looked at him as we reach the car. The wily bastard was nervous and resentful. Normally, I'd put that down to my teasing back in the house, but the nervousness had me worried. Peter doesn't get nervous. Ever. "Spill it, Peter, what's got your panties in a twist?"

He glanced at me as we approached the car, opening the passenger door and climbing in. Peter stayed annoyingly and unusually quiet. Peter is never quiet. Ever. I sat in the driver's seat staring at him. Peter sat there all stoic and staring out of the front window. Bastard.

"Captain," I growled out eventually, sick of waiting for him to fill me in.

He rolled his eyes and I shot him full of my irritation, that woke the bastard up from his subordinate stupor. "I have intel." He paused for a second, grinding his teeth together when he looked at me. "It involves the Cullen's. Specifically E-"

"_Don't you _fucking_ dare say it,_" I seethed, he knew better than this.

"Do you see why I ain't been hammerin' at the door to fill you in on this?" Peter answered back, the fucker never put up with my shit.

I closed my eyes, trying to find my calm again. There was one thing and one thing only that was guaranteed to make me lose my shit.

"Just fucking say it, Peter. Get it the fuck over with." I didn't bother opening my eyes.

"He's found the third." Peter spoke carefully and my eyes flew open. _You have to be fucking kidding me. _"A human female."

I stared at him in shock. "Human? Has he made contact?" I asked, pulling out onto the road and speeding off to our rendezvous with Charlotte.

Peter laughed, and it wasn't amused. "Yeah, you could say that. They're in a _relationship_. She knows everythin'...though, I'd wager not everythin' that includes you."

I snarled, spinning the car into a parking space and waiting just long enough for Charlotte to get in and shut the door before spinning the wheels in my haste to get back onto the road.

"Major, is there a reason why you're drivin' me around like a sack of potatoes?" Charlotte asked calmly, sitting with her back against the doors and one of her long legs crossed over the other and catching a drop of blood from the corner of her mouth with her finger and licking it.

"Where's Maria?" I asked, ignoring her question.

Charlotte smirked, her red eyes shining with amusement, "She got a little caught up with a group of college boys she found. You know how she likes to get her fill."

Peter laughed from beside me. "She not sharin' tonight?"

"No Baby, I found my own fun. I wasn't in the mood for meat." She grinned and raised her eyebrows playfully.

Peter's lust was rising again and I really wasn't in the mood for this, "Peter! Back on topic for fucks sake."

He glared at me for a second before answering, "They've been together for just over six months, the human has just turned 18. They had a nice little family get together for it, including a paper cut that none of the furries took advantage of." He rolled his eyes, disgust rolling off him at the Cullen's choice of diet. "According to the intel, they met at high school. But more interestin' is the fact that E..._he_...can't read her mind. She's completely silent to him."

"She's a Null?" I asked in surprise, a 'Null' was a rare find, the ability to nullify any power. She would be very sought after if that were the case.

Peter shook his head, "No, that little pixie 8-ball can see her just fine with those visions of hers and _he_ ain't got no troubles readin' anyone else's mind. I reckon she's a shield, whether or not its personal or battle useful remains to be seen."

"It doesn't matter whether she'll be able to shield the whole of the Volturi and Southern Armies combined...she won't be going into battle," I ground out.

"You goin' soft on us, Major? The human mate makin' your protective instincts kick in?" Peter taunted. _Bastard_.

I turned to him, calm and dangerous, "You want to test that theory, Captain?"

He became serious instantly. "No, Major."

I nodded once. "They're still in Forks?"

"Yup, they're still pretendin' on bein' human. Fuckin' high school, over and over again. Talk about hell. Jesus, there is no way in hell that you'll catch me doin' that shit."

I smirked, then laughed loud and long as a plan formed in my head. Peter and I had worked together for decades. After I'd turned the wily bastard, it had become obvious that he and Maria were part of a trio. Made shit easier for me, that hell bitch was much easier to handle when she was getting regular cock from one third of her soul. Charlotte had come along a couple of decades later. The three of them are formidable to say the least. Neither Peter nor Charlotte are gifted, but Peter's talents for intel retrieval and Char's fighting skills meant that paring them with Maria's dream-walking ability gave them an edge above the rest. Add to that my fine ass and you have a more or less unstoppable force. It was the sole reason that the Volturi sought our partnership instead of wiping us out during the Southern Wars.

And that brings us to our current positions, me as Aro's right hand man and Peter as mine. Maria's ability meant that she could gain control of most people, or at the very least gain access to their dreams. We found out after some experimentation that we can combine gifts, or rather, I can manipulate the shit out of the victim, making it easier for Maria's manipulations to take hold. We held most of the world's leaders in our pockets, or to a certain extent, in their own dreams.

I turned into the driveway of the house that we had procured for the night, the door opening to reveal Maria as we all climbed out, apparently her college boys were no more. I was still laughing my ass off, which was fuelled by the worried looks I was getting from Peter and Charlotte. Maria just looked amused; she knew full well that there was something running around my head, though I bet my right nut that she'll be just as pissed as the others when I reveal my decision. But for now, she was letting her anticipation get the better of her, thinking that I had some juicy plan up my sleeve, that'd give her a chance for a whole lot of blood play. I smirked, all dark and shit, there would only be one trio taking part in blood play.

_**Flashback**_

_We were running through the dark streets of London, the odd car moving slowly along the snow covered road. The moon was full, casting its silver light over the cityscape and making it look ethereal. I couldn't help the glance to my partner running at my side. His bronze hair was slicked back, the moon glinting off both it and his pale skin, he was glowing almost, absolutely fucking breath taking and all I wanted to do in that moment was throw him down and be inside him._

_His slow, crooked smirk and emotions that screamed 'cat that ate the canary', let me know that he'd been listening to my thoughts._

"_I cannot help it when they are screamed at me, Whitlock," he said, licking his lips and almost making me break stride as his lust sky rocketed._

"_Now, now, Masen, what's going through that dirty mind of yours?"_

_He didn't answer right away, I just found myself tumbling into the snow. We were nothing but a blur of limbs, skidding along the compacted dirt floor of the alley until we came to a stop. Masen pinning me beneath him, not a position I had any sort of problem with. His eyes were black, a stark contrast to the white of his face and the shock of bronze on his head that flopped down, now that his hair had been shaken free. I could feel him, just as hard as I was, and pressing against my thigh._

"_Stay," he growled out the order, and I obeyed, watching his lithe form travel up the alley way and disappear for just a second. I grinned, putting my hands behind my head and resting on them, my ankles crossed as I relaxed, ready to watch the show unfold._

_He didn't return alone, he was carrying a struggling woman in his arms, her dress already torn from her attempts to flee and her fear already making the smell of her blood stronger. Masen kept his eyes on me as he stopped close enough that her feet were scuffling against my boots as she carried on her desperate and useless attempts to get away from him. He bit into her neck, purposely causing a spray of blood to arch out and hit me across my chest, neck, and face. I barely resisted the urge to lick my lips, knowing that he liked to have that pleasure for himself when he got into this frame of mind, he always liked to do that the most. He drained her almost to the point of unconsciousness, before holding her over me and slitting her throat. We weren't really feeding, this was hedonistic and lust driven. _

_I opened my mouth eagerly, drinking down as much of the blood as I could and lavishing in the feeling of this woman's life blood running all over my skin. Eventually, her bloodless corpse was thrown aside and the night sky was replaced by a menacing looking Masen. He licked at his lips as he looked at me, all hunger and desire and need. _

"_Look at you all covered in sweetness and red." I growled lowly while he smirked, coming closer and running his hand up my leg till he reached my hard cock and squeezed just...fucking...right. "Clara was her name...the name of the woman whose life's blood now flows in us...and all over you." To make his point, Masen ran his finger across my neck and then sucked it into his mouth. "I really should've stripped you first...there would be nothing better than sucking this off your cock right now, Whitlock"_

_**End Flashback**_

Cursing myself for getting mired down in that memory, I walked straight up to Maria and, in an attempt to get back to the present, I wrapped my arm around her waist, tipped her backwards and kissed her long and hard. Playing with Maria's emotions was always easy, she really was a sadistic bitch and for her, sex goes hand in hand with that. Moving from her lips I bent my head down to kiss along her throat, all the while whispering to her about my latest kill and manipulating her so that she felt each and every part of it. She was a quivering mess in my arms by the time I was finished.

"Jasper, kindly give us the courtesy of knowin' what's goin' on in that head of yours before you stick your tongue down my mates throat." Char spoke, trying to sound bored and nonchalant. It wasn't working.

I looked up at her and Peter, a shit eating grin on my face and a dazed Maria in my arms. "Well, Peter, we need to make arrangements for travelling. I have a mate to meet, another that I need to get...reacquainted with and both that need claiming. Boys and girls...we're going back to high school."

**A/N oh...you all know what to do so go ahead and do it :D Pretty please with a nekkid Jasper on top? Edward? Both? **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again! Sorry this is so late, writers block is a bitch and RL spanked me hard enough to leave me in the wrong state of mind to write. But, it's here and I'm back, I've already started on the next chapter. Huge thanks go to my Wifey, THEChickNoriss and my Beta Goddess, Mynxi. They both threw me back into this and kept me motivated. Kudos to Mynxi, once again, for making this all shiny and spanking my arse into gear when I'd gone somewhat off kilter. Love you, Treacle! We're back to Bella for this one, I hope you enjoy it, if there's anyone still reading it, LOL.**

_Nothing, nada…silence. For all I knew, Edward had made a run for it and left me standing here, tear stained and afraid. Hating the weakness that I was feeling in that moment I turned around, ready to face whatever he had to throw at me. Expecting a look of shocked disgust to be on his face, just before asking me to leave the house. Instead, his face is full of such compassion that I almost fall to my knees in relief that he doesn't hate me. I say almost because that's when I notice that the rest of the family were standing close to the door. Just staring at me, their faces ranging from sorrow to compassion to shock._

_**B~P~O~V**_

My eyes pricked with tears that I refused to shed, and I just stood there dumbly staring at Edward. His family in the background, all unchanging and frozen in place as my eyes flitted over each of them. Carlisle and Esme were standing together. Esme's hands were over her mouth and her eyes wide while Carlisle looked on with a father's patience, but worried, air. I had no idea if it was for me or for Edward, but I wagered a guess that his worry was for his son, rather than his son's crazy girlfriend. Emmett stood, eyes dark and seemingly angry, breaking my heart with his reaction as he held Rose and Alice on either side of him. Alice's eyes were so wide she looked like an anime character, her mouth grim. I wondered if she would be crying had she retained the ability to. It was Rosalie that got to me the most, her smile was cold and smug, and her nose turned up as if someone had wiped dog crap beneath it. It was obvious that she wasn't bothering to hide what she was thinking about me; that I'm some sick vampire groupie, or something along those lines.

I was shaking, my hands balled into fists, nails digging into my skin, and a hairs breath away from breaking the skin, anger the only thing stopping me from simply running away. Shock, anger, disbelief, confusion, betrayal, embarrassment, all of that and more boiled up inside of me and morphed into a rage the like of which I had never felt before. My face was red hot. I knew I was blushing, turning some God awful colour of red or even purple because of the strength of my emotions

"Be-" Edward started.

I cut him off, the silence finally broken.

"You _bastard,_" I ground out, glaring at him, having to remind myself that physically lashing out will only lead to my broken bones. Edward took a step forward and I swiftly took one back, holding my hand up and shaking my head. "Don't, don't even _think_about it."

I put my hand down as soon as I realised how badly it was shaking. Edward looked lost, his beautiful eyes imploring. It almost tugged on my heartstrings, almost made me step towards him. Almost.

"Bella, please." He came forward as he spoke, seemingly resolute in his actions.

I watched him come towards me, my gaze locked with his; rage and shame burning inside me. I could see in his eyes his need to comfort me, but right then and there I didn't want him or his family near me. I shook my head, the movement fast and jerky, as I stepped back.

"Bella...please, let me...," he whispered, only hesitating for a split second.

Well, fuck him. _Fuck him_.

"I. Said. Don't. Don't talk to me, don't touch me, just...just _don't_."

I turned away from him, from all of them, and ran to the stairs. To be honest, I wanted out of the house, but that meant going past them all and leaving without my bag, which was sitting in Edward's room. I couldn't believe what he had done, what he had manipulated, that they knew. They all knew. Oh God, they all knew! I scrambled to get my stuff packed away into my book bag, stuffing my belongings in there without care. I just wanted to get out of the damn house and was dearly hoping that everyone had taken the hint and vacated the premises, therefore minimising the chance to add to my already over flowing embarrassment.

"Bella, please let me explain."

I paused, sighing, almost wanting to just fucking _sob_ that he wasn't leaving me alone and my wishes weren't being granted. Was it really too much to ask that I would be allowed to take my leave in a dignified manner? I could hear him shuffling behind me, and I could imagine the look on his face as he tried to figure out what the hell to do next. He had never seen me like this. _I'd_never felt like this before, but I wasn't about to clue him in on something that seemed perfectly obvious to me. That he should just leave me the fuck alone.

I kept my back to him, resuming packing my bag with renewed fervour as I spoke, "Explain what, Edward? That you manipulated me into telling you something so damn private and so personally horrifying, only to make sure that your family heard it too? That there is no way this could be a _mistake_because you knew from 5 miles out that they were on their way back." I snorted, "Hell, if they ever even left at all."

"We were worried about you, Bella. We _are_worried, and you wouldn't talk to anyone about it. I know that this was underhanded and-"

I whirled around. "I spoke to you. I told YOU! And you must have known that I would, otherwise there would be no point in having everyone come back! Are you happy now? Happy now that you know the depraved depths of my subconscious? That you know exactly why I haven't said anything before now? Why I couldn't?" My voice broke and I turned away, wiping at my eyes and silently cursing myself for crying.

Then Edward's arms surrounded me and this time I didn't argue, I didn't resist. I accepted the comfort wholeheartedly, leaning into him and breathing deeply. There was nothing like Edward's scent, the way it affected me, how it could calm me or excite me, depending on the situation. And when Edward pressed his face into my hair and I felt him take in my scent, I knew that mine did the same for him.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, _so_sorry. I was so worried about you, you have barely been sleeping, and Alice saw that it would only get worse," he sounded so sincere, so caring and loving and perfect. Only thing was, he'd said something that got me all riled up again.

I pulled away, he let me, I glared up at him, and he looked like he knew he was in for it.

_Clever boy._

"She did, did she? Well, then, that's alright then," I spoke in a faux cheery tone, sarcasm dripping from every syllable. "That makes everything better. So, that means that she saw me tell you. Why the hell didn't you just keep it between us? You know what, never mind. That seriously doesn't matter. What matters now is this...what does Alice's visions tell her now? Hmm?"

I stood there, my decision to leave firm in my mind.

Edward sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and nodded.

I walked out of the room.

No one bothered me on my way out, the house seemingly empty. Though in my now paranoid mind, they were all watching from around the corner. Suffice to say, my retreat was a quick one. No one bothered me after I got home, either; no calls, no texts. I had hesitated a moment before closing my window, but I didn't want him around tonight, I was far too angry with him. It kept going around in my head, disbelief and anger. That sneaky..._jerk_, I still couldn't believe he'd done that.

I sat down heavily on my bed, glaring at everything in my room as if it was all judging me, actively forcing myself to forget that this room was where my dream always took place. But I didn't want to be downstairs with Charlie watching sports before he left for work. I was much happier sequestering myself in my room, screaming into my pillows, and feeling sorry for myself and fully embracing my teenage instincts.

I knew that Edward had a good reason for doing that, but damn it if I didn't want to think or accept that. He had betrayed me, they all had, tricked me into telling them all, when it had been nearly impossible to tell only him. I truly had no idea if I would ever be able to see the Cullen's again. After what they'd heard, what I'd said. Cringing, I lay down on my bed and hid my face in the pillow, screaming out my frustration and embarrassment.

I had to stop thinking about it, it was done and nothing could change what had happened. Why the hell couldn't one of the Cullen's have had the power to turn back time and give me a do-over? Seriously, I would take little to no sleep and raging hormonal nightmares over what happened tonight. But then, why would Edward go to such lengths for everyone to find out? He could have had them stay back and just eavesdrop, and then I wouldn't know that they knew. But, thinking about his family talking about me behind my back, discussing what they had heard without my knowledge, would I want that?

I smacked my forehead to get me out of the downward spiral that I was falling into. Damn stupid paranoid and over active brain, I needed something to work as a distraction. Homework. Yep, homework was the way to go. I more or less ran over to my desk, figuring that Calculus would be a great way to dull my mind and keep it off tonight's events. I set myself up at my desk, exercise book, text book, and pen at the ready. But...yeah, it didn't work as well as I would have hoped. All I did was stare blindly at the page and thought about this evening's event over and over again.

Eventually, I sighed, throwing my pen down and let out a frustrated growl. Well, I say growl, after being around vampires for so long, a more appropriate description is some pathetic elongated grunt. The worst thing? I _wanted_Edward; I wanted him here to comfort me and to tell me that everything is going to be okay.

My need for him just pissed me off even more.

I made sure that my window was shut tight, the curtains drawn, and the only light on in my room is my desk lamp. It was a very clear message that I didn't want to see him, even though I really did. But I was remaining steadfast in my convictions, despite my bi-polar feelings about the situation.

When I first found out about what Edward was and the mating process had been explained to me, as well as it could be, I felt the pull to him, deep in my chest, and my love for him grew from the very first day. My love is now absolute, but I can't quite grasp the utter intensity that lies behind and within the mating bond. And from their explanations, I won't until I'm turned.

It's not like any of them are hunter gatherers, they're all equal, male and female alike. They exist on one substance only and their mating instincts are for companionship, love, and sex, not procreation. Well, I suppose it could be argued that when a human/vampire mating takes place that there is an element of procreation involved. The human must become a vampire, their survival depends on it. And I get the brunt of their protective instincts, especially from Edward because I'm still human, and will remain that way until after graduation.

My cell ringing breaks me out of my thoughts, and I reached down into my bag to retrieve it, surprised to see Jacob's name flashing on the screen along with his cheesy grin. I haven't spoken to Jacob much in the last few weeks. I had been far too ensconced in everything that is Edward and vampires and the whole new world that I had been introduced to. Can't blame a girl for being distracted. And even then our sporadic communication had been shut off. I'd tried to call him a few times, but all Billy would say is that he was out with friends or asleep.

I hesitated, letting the generic ring tone sound out into my quiet room a few times before making the decision to answer or not. I really wasn't in the mood for company, but Jacob was my tie to the normal world, he knew nothing of vampires and definitely nothing about my dreams. He was an escape that I needed right then, safe and mundane and ignorant to my current troubles. When I answered, it was with a genuine, if not small, smile on my face.

"Hey, Jacob. How are you? It seems like forever since I last spoke with you."

_"Bella, yeah...anyway, can you come down to the Res?" _His voice was gruff and deeper than I remembered, his usual sunny tone absent.

"Jake, it's..." I looked at the clock to check the time, "9pm, I was just finishing off homework and planning on an early night."

Ok, so the early night is a lie, as tired as I am, sleeping only brings the dream and that's not something I want to deal with right now. But I really wasn't in the mood to actually see and engage with people face to face. I just wanted some semblance of normalcy on the phone with Jake and then to wallow in my revolving emotions and lose myself in some films for a few hours.

_"It's still early, Bella, wouldn't you normally be at the Cullen's till late anyway?" _I raise my eyebrows at his tone, sitting a little straighter and wondering what his problem was.

"Jake, I told you, I'm having an early night. I'm not even at the Cullen's."

A muffled shuffling from the phone made me think that he had covered the receiver with his hand. I could hear muttering in the background but couldn't make anything out. I was just about to remind him that I was there when he spoke to me again.

_"Be ready, I'll drive and you can stay at Emily's so you can still get your early night."_Then he hung up.

And I sat there like a moron with my mouth hanging open and staring at my cell wondering what the hell had just happened. I almost jumped out of my skin when, just a minute later, the doorbell rang. I wandered down stairs to answer it, figuring that Edward had seen the closed window and decided on the more civilised way of gaining entrance. Making sure that I had my 'pissed off, but nonchalant, I-don't-wanna-see-you' face on, I opened the door.

It wasn't Edward.

It was boobs.

Damn awesome boobs that put my C cups to shame.

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose between my fingers, stopping abruptly when I recognised it as something I had picked up from Edward, "Rosalie? Not to sound rude or anything, but why are _you_here?"

I looked up at her face, too pissed off to be bothered that I had been openly staring at her chest and somewhat flabbergasted and off balance that she was even here. Rosalie wasn't even looking at me, her head was turned and she was glaring into the distance, at something that I wasn't privy to and didn't even know if I cared about right at that moment. I rolled my eyes and waited for her to answer me, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at her as if that would make any difference. A minute passed and she was still looking out into the surrounding area, but eventually her face relaxed from the glare she had been sporting and returned to her normal look of disdain that she seemed to save solely for me.

She raised one perfect eyebrow and speaks one word, "Alice."

And with that, she strode past me and swayed into the living room without a backward glance. I'm left there, holding the door open and looking between it and where Rosalie had just disappeared, knowing that Alice had sent her here but no idea why the hell she would chose Rosalie to be the one to come. I took a deep breath, and reminded myself that she's a creature capable of killing me with her pinkie finger in less than a second, so trying to take out my anger and frustrations on her annoying ass with my father's baseball bat would not be advisable. I closed the door and followed her into the living room to find her standing in the centre, looking out towards the window, completely frozen, but still exuding the poise and elegance that seems to come so naturally for her. I sighed loudly, crossing my arms over my chest again and waiting for an explanation.

Seriously, I could not figure out why the hell Alice would send Rosalie out of everyone. It wasn't as if she gives a shit, out of all the Cullens. Rosalie is the one that never seemed to care about anything other than herself and her own mates. Well, that isn't exactly fair, she certainly loved her family as well, but other than making her wants known, she usually just glared or snorted or something along those lines. Alice and Emmett love her of course, Rosalie is their mate after all. So, I had always figured that there has to be something redeeming about her. I just hadn't seen it yet.

Maybe it's just me.

Rosalie was still ignoring me.

I huffed, not bothering to hide my annoyance at her intrusion, falling into a seat on the sofa, "Rosalie? Is there a reason why you're standing in my living room?" _And not sucking face with either Emmett or Alice...far, far away from me?_

Different reasons flitted through my mind, a cold shot of fear laced with panic shot through me at the thought that they had maybe sent her to tell me that they were leaving? She had probably jumped at the chance to do it, leaped up and run out of the house as soon as the subject was brought up. So I sat there, not so patiently, and not so calmly, as I waited for her to answer.

She didn't turn to look at me, keeping her mysterious vigil as she spoke, "You know what Alice is like, she has her own reasons, and I've learnt to listen to her."

_Yeah, well, I just exposed my deepest, darkest, and most embarrassing secret to the whole damn family without meaning to. Suck it and tell me why you're here._

I took a deep breath, attempting to find calm that was evading me and stop my cheeks from flaming and my eyes from filling. My exhaustion really was taking its toll on me and I was feeling more and more fragile. I couldn't stop my mind from replaying everything; every little detail seemed to flow behind my eyes is glowing Technicolor and surround sound. But I didn't _want_ to think about what had happened tonight, didn't want to think about what Alice sending Rosalie here opposed to any of the others meant, didn't want to think about the weird phone call with the now asshole Jake. I wanted to relax and drown in denial. I wanted to sleep, just fucking _sleep, _and I didn't think that that was too much to ask. And yes, I knew full well that that wasn't going to happen. But what I _did_want to know, was how the hell to get the toffee-nosed, blonde bombshell bitch of a vampire the hell out of my house and that was what I tried to use to keep my mind off everything else.

"As lovely as this visit was, I was just about to go to bed. So if you don't mind..." I trailed off, motioning towards the door even though she wouldn't be able to see it.

Nothing.

I huffed again, staring at her back, and fought the urge to make faces at her. The longer Rosalie was here, the more my shame came to the forefront, and with it came rage at being exposed the way that I was and my already meagre defences began to crumble. I preferred the anger to the embarrassment or shame; anger didn't make me want to hide away and curl into myself. Anger didn't bring about that childish notion that if I hid behind my hair, that they wouldn't be able to see me. No, anger was powerful and cleansing almost, it even seemed to chase away a little of the tiredness, or at least give the illusion that it was helping. Or rather, it gave me something a lot more tangible to hang onto instead of burning cheeks and the need to develop hermit tendencies.

Eventually, I couldn't help but think back to the dream. I tried closing my eyes and washing it from my brain even though I knew it was thoroughly imprinted there. And while I knew that my feelings during the dream were wrong, that I shouldn't take pleasure in another's demise, and that I wanted to follow the Cullen's diet of animals and _not_ humans. I had to fight not to revel in the sinful and sensual feelings that it brought with it. It would be so easy to give in, to allow myself to fully remember and to fully _enjoy_the memories.

"Stop wallowing in self pity will you? It really isn't attractive." Rosalie's comment brought me back with a bang, my eyes flying open to glare at her back. "Edward only did what he did because he was convinced you were dreaming of _him_." Rose turned, a slight smirk on her face, making her look like a self-righteous and all round smug bitch. "It really isn't that surprising, that he thought that, now is it? You are veritably begging him for it every second of the day, offering yourself with your legs spread wide, why wouldn't he think that you are dreaming of him _sexually_? Of course, his paranoia made it that he was killing you in your dream...hence you screaming towards the end."

I would've loved to have come up with some witty response, an intelligent come back that made her eat her own words, or maybe something that had her begging for my forgiveness. As it was, I was left having to force myself to meet her high and mighty stare. What she had just said hit a _little_too close to home. So all of the Cullen's think I'm some sex obsessed harlot trying to steal their 'sons' innocence? Coupled with was revealed during the dream, was that even far from the truth? Rosalie's words and everything else that had been revealed this evening, all I wanted to do right then was curl up and cry. In fact, the only thing that stopped me was the one shred of pride that I somehow had left and my natural rebellious attitude towards someone like Rosalie. She's the kind of person that made you want to argue that the sky isn't blue and we don't breathe oxygen. So I kept my face cold and as sweetly as I could manage, asked her to leave.

"Get. The. _Fuck. _Out of my house." Ok, so sweetness was a rare commodity right about then.

Rosalie arched her perfect eyebrow and sneered her perfect lips, she hissed and looked like she was about to say something else when her cell phone rang. It was at her ear in a blur and she kept eye contact with me while she listened to whatever the person on the other end was telling her.

I glared right on back at her, my arms crossed over my chest and tried not to look like the weak human that I was. I was fully intending to back up my request for her to leave when she had finished with her phone call, as it turned out, that wasn't necessary.

"Bye, Isabella, it was _such_ a pleasure," she said, all saccharine sweet and laced with sarcasm.

_Hateful B__itch._

She was out of the house, with nothing but the door slamming in her wake, before I had even opened my mouth to answer her back. And I was just left with more confusion. I sat there for a minute or so, taking stock of what had just happened, what she had said, and wondering why the fuck she had been there in the first place. I even walked over to the window to see if I could see any clue as to what she'd been staring at. Nope, nothing, nada. In the end, I remembered that Jake had said he was on his way over. So, in a rush, I ran around turning all the lights off, locking up, closing curtains, and eventually returning to my bedroom after making sure that it looked obvious that I was asleep, or even better, that there was no one home.

The childishness of my actions was the least of my problems as I climbed into bed, dog tired and foolishly hoping for a dreamless sleep. I curled up beneath my covers, tucking them around myself and beneath my head as if they might shield me, fighting tears of fear and trying to clear my mind.

I awoke, gasping and clutching at the sheets beneath me. I was shaking, my body drenched in sweat and my duvet had fallen to the floor, or been kicked off during my nightmare, but I _really _didn't care about that. What worried me, what scared the living death out of me, was that I was lying there with my PJ bottoms at my knees and topless.

Sitting up so fast that my head spun, I hastily pulled my bottoms up before fumbling around for my top. It wasn't till I was pulling it over my head that I realised I was crying, but I didn't care. I really did not care about something as trivial as that, I was absolutely terrified, confused and ready to never sleep again. Apparently, without Edward there to wake me up, the dream continued on and going off my state of dress, I was enjoying it a lot more than I should have been.

The last scenes of the dream played over and over again in my mind. I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes as I cried, trying to push the images back, as if I could somehow push it from my brain. But they just kept coming and coming, and there was nothing that I could do to stop them.

_He was there and the world was right…the world was good…nothing else mattered but us…together…eternally…bathing in blood._

_I open myself to him completely, there was no resistance, no fear...only need and want and desire. Blond curls and a wicked smile, eyes shining with the blood of his kill, the girl's life blood swirling within them. _

_I saw the strength of it, _felt_ it, hungered for it. _

_My back hit a soft hardness...cotton and cool, hair spread and arms above my head. He came to me, climbing and crawling above me...sin and sex and death and temptation._

_His hands and mouth were stained with blood and death...delicious and powerful...dark and dangerous._

_I arched, wanting to be closer...inviting...giving...submitting._

_He dipped his head, his curls matted with drying blood, his tongue sweeping out across my skin...tasting...testing...his bloodied hands revealed more and more of my soft, pliant skin._

_I gasped and writhed, my breasts free for his pleasure and mine. His mouth so cold, so perfect._

_He dips further down, his tongue swirls across the soft plane of my stomach; dipping, licking, sucking._

_Hands and nails and impatience...ripped at my clothes._

_And there was no more waiting...there was only white hot pleasure as he found his place and -_

Screaming, I jumped up from my bed, hands tearing at my hair, bent over and curling into myself. I fell to my knees, feeling weak and useless and insane, the world around me seemed so harsh and unforgiving as I cried my heart out, wishing for Edward to come back for me. For him to just appear, and take the terror away; all was forgiven, I just _needed _him.

Instead, it was warm arms that picked me up, my father's voice that soothed me as he carried me downstairs and wrapped me in a blanket on the couch. It was Charlie that wiped my sweaty hair from my brow, leaning down to kiss my forehead before turning the TV onto some sitcom re-runs and disappearing into the kitchen. A few minutes later he returned, two cups of what turn out to be cocoa and he took a seat at the end of the couch, settling my feet on his lap and turning the TV up slightly. He didn't speak, simply allowing his presence to be enough, and for that I am beyond grateful. I sipped at my cocoa and allow my father's presence to comfort me as I eventually fell back to sleep.

When I woke up the next morning, I was still all snug as a bug in a rug on the sofa and, in the light of day, feeling decidedly stupid over my state of mind when Charlie had found me. Charlie had moved to his recliner and was snoring quietly, the TV remote held loosely in his hand, the picture that he posed and the sheer normality of it made me smile. It really was just so _normal_, something that I had seen so many times before, but knowing that he had kept vigil over me last night made me feel all warm and fuzzy. Made me remember how much my dad actually loved me and how grateful I was to have him in my life. Unwrapping myself from the blanket, I crept over and took the remote and set it on the table, before laying my blanket over Charlie and tiptoeing upstairs for a shower.

It was a little earlier than I would normally like to get up for school, but lately I had been sleeping so erratically and infrequently, that 'wake-ups' and 'bed times' no longer applied. Last night I had enjoyed a dreamless sleep once downstairs and I knew I had my dad to thank for that. I decided then and there that I would make Charlie's favourite dinner tonight and to spend more time with him. Seems as though my dad's presence was exactly what I needed. Last night, at least.

I let the hot water cascade over my face, hair, and body, hoping that the external cleansing would also work on the inside. I wanted to wash any and all memories of the new and improved dream from my mind. They say that everything is always better in the light of day, but just the thought of that saying caused a somewhat irrational and hysterical laugh to bubble up within me, there was no escaping reality. The shower worked for a time, but as soon as I stepped from the relaxing thrum of the water, anxiety and shame came in again and I found myself shaking as I dried and dressed. And then a thought occurred to me. A horrible, _horrible_ thought. I pause for a moment, staring at my closed curtains before walking slowly towards them. I told myself that it was just paranoia, that it was _just_a dream, that there was no way anyone was in my bedroom with me last night, but there was just something that kept nagging at me. My hands trembled as I reached out, hesitating a second before swiftly parting the drapes and letting go of the breath I had been holding. Laughing nervously at myself and smiling in relief at my window, which was blessedly still shut as tight as I had left it last night.

My hair ended up in a messy bun and my clothes were for comfort and nothing else. I was too tired to care about my appearance. I had only glanced in the mirror long enough to see the dark circles under my eyes, my skin was sickly pale, and just plain tired looking. I didn't want or need to see anything more than that. I trudged downstairs to find Charlie sitting looking bleary eyed at the TV and I watched him for a moment, before walking in and laying a quick kiss on his cheek and whispering, thank you. He turned his worried eyes to me and gave me a small smile, nodding in acknowledgment. Seeing that I still had time to spare, I decided to spoil Charlie a little make a cooked breakfast. That, and the dinner I was planning for that night, would be the least that I could do for him. And hopefully go a ways to stop him worrying about me and my hysterical behaviour. As taciturn as Charlie is, I was still surprised that he hadn't tried to talk about last night, but whatever the reason for that, I was grateful. I had no idea what I would say to him.

We sat at the table, swapping small talk. Charlie tried to catch my eyes and I tried to keep the subject light and hide my exhaustion. In the end, though, Charlie got sick of our game of cat and mouse.

"Bells...what happened last night? You know I'm not one to pry, but I've never seen you like that. And...," he hesitated, and I look at him, pleading with my eyes for him to drop it, "...I've heard you screaming on other nights too."

I took a deep breath, my exhalation shaky at best. "I'm sorry that you found me like that, Dad. I've been having some...bad dreams lately is all and I'm tired. And very embarrassed about what you witnessed last night. I'm sorry that you had to see that." I smiled, hoping that it came across as healthy and normal, opposed to sleep deprived and dream depraved. I kept repeating to myself that in the light of day, everything was easier to deal with, easier to deny and push away. I just hoped that my new mantra was working.

Charlie nodded, not looking like he believed me completely, but I knew that he knew that there was no point in pushing me. He's used to my mature and stable nature, used to being able to trust me.

"But...thank you...for last night," I said, all lameness and simplicity and understatement.

Even with concern still evident in his eyes, he lit up at my words and nodded, seemingly embarrassed at my sentiment. I stood as soon as he returned his attention back to his meal, clearing my plate and glass before running to my bedroom to retrieve my book bag.

Congratulating myself on only tripping twice, which was a miracle considering my current state of overtiredness. I grabbed my bag and, after making sure that I have everything, walked back downstairs, kissing Charlie on the cheek and grabbing my jacket on my way out the door.

The morning carried with it a sharp chill, causing me to pull my jacket tighter around me as I made my way to my truck. I had half expected Edward to be here waiting for me, but then I guess it's no surprise that he had finally heeded my warning after my behaviour last night. Or, maybe he really was disgusted to find out what secrets my subconscious harbours. Either way, I was equal parts disappointed and relieved. Deep down, I was crying out for his comfort, while the rest of me was still incensed at him.

The school lot was about half full as my truck dragged itself in, coming to a spluttering stop in my usual spot. Next to Edward's Volvo. Edward's Volvo that happened to have Edward standing right next to it.

I looked over at him, my eyes pricking and feeling all kinds of vulnerable all of a sudden. Seeing him looking so tortured; his body seemingly coiled to spring and rip the door off the truck to get to me, threatened to break my last vestiges of calm.

Figuring that waiting for him to perform vehicular homicide was probably not the best idea, I undid my seat belt with shaky hands and wrenched the door open, sliding down to stand beside my truck. For a moment, we just stood staring at each other. He was still so beautiful, even when he looked so lost and unsure. I was still mad and embarrassed, unsure and completely off kilter from my lack of sleep, last night's debacle, and the new twist to my nightmare.

Basically, I was a mess.

"Bella...I-"

"What you did last night, it really hurt me Edward. _Really,_hurt me," I hastily interrupted. Knowing that I needed to get that out before he apologised, because otherwise I'd be in his arms before I could blink. Because that was where I needed to be, where my heart was aching to be.

"Edward..." I said, my voice needier that I meant it to be. I wanted to say so much. How much he hurt me, betrayed me, angered me, even that I understood his reasons after Rosalie's less than tactful reveal last night. But I didn't, I couldn't, not right then. "I'm just so tired."

He came for me then, strong arms, cold and warm all at the same time. Surrounded me, held me to him, held me up. He wrapped himself around me, his face buried in my hair, at the side of my neck by my ear. He whispered his love, his apologies, his regrets, and his fears and I did the only thing I was capable of at that moment.

I wept.

I cried and sobbed, falling against him and letting the hateful tears finally fall, and fell apart in his arms. Crying was something that I have always hated and avoided, but there was no emotional barriers left for me in that moment. And so I let go. Alice whispered for Edward to take me back to his house didn't faze me, the air whistling past my ears, my hair blowing back, none of that fazed me. Edward lying me down on his bed, still encased within his embrace as he told me that Carlisle was going to give me something, something that would allow me to sleep dreamlessly. None of that fazed me.

I felt the pin prick in my arm, felt the injection, and then I felt nothing at all.

**A/N: Okay, get clicking that review button and let me know what you think. What you wanna see, any questions...anything at all, LOL. And I'll get on with the next chapter :D Thank you!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N I know, long long long long wait for this one. I just hope it doesn't disappoint. This chapter has kicked my arse six ways from Sunday, but here it is, finally finished and may all shiny and wonderful by the awesomeness that is Mynxi. Love you hard, Treacle, you helped get my arse in gear for this one! **

_E~D~W~A~R~D_

_How could I be so stupid?_

I had brought Bella here with the sole intention of getting her to talk about her dream, the nightmare that had been plaguing her for the last two weeks. Every night I had watched as she began to murmur in her sleep, nothing concrete left her lips as she began to breathe heavily and then writhe beneath her covers. Her face took on an expression of sexual anticipation and I would put everything into trying to delve into her mind in order to unlock the secrets within. Her breath would become fast and laboured, deep and needy, her legs rubbing against one another and her tongue wetting and tasting her own lips as the dream continued. The first time it had been enticing, watching her in such rapture, smelling her arousal and fighting my own instincts to wake her and take her as she so obviously needed to be taken. But then the nightmare showed its true form and she would stiffen, and then let go one of the most awful screams I had ever been privy to. And I had been privy to many, been the cause of most of them.

It was terrifying, seeing Bella in such chaos, locked within her nightmare. It always took time to wake her, to drag her from her terror, and to wrap her safely in my arms in some effort to bring her peace. The first time it happened, it was easy to brush it off as a simple nightmare. But then it happened again, and again, eventually becoming a plague upon her every night. I had thought the cause obvious, that she was dreaming of me as she often did, acting out her desires within the safety of her dreams until my true nature became apparent and then the screaming would start.

I watched her wither before my eyes, my venom heighten sight able to see more clearly the changes in her. The darkening shadows beneath her eyes, her already slight frame becoming thinner as the days went on; her loss of appetite and the slow but sure destruction of her ability to concentrate. It was frightening to be sure, seeing the one that you love falling in on themselves before your very eyes. Bella being human was a difficulty, there was no denying that. Her being my singer had meant that I had almost lost a part of myself the first moment I met her. That first meeting had been the hardest hour of my life, being that close to the most delicious and almost undeniable scent, knowing that all I had to do was give her some pretty words and she would follow me anywhere, that my teeth would have sliced so cleanly through her skin, unlocking the warmth that my body was screaming to consume.

By some grace I had managed to abstain and come to know the human, recognise her as a part of myself, as my mate. As _one_ of my mates. Even then I had tried to stay away, mating with a human may not be frowned upon within our world but it was still unusual and the way her blood sings to me made it all the more daunting. Then there was my past, something that I could not erase, something that a part of me did not want to erase, but still something that the innocence of Bella Swan should not be exposed to. Or at least that was what I had thought at first. Before I realised how strong she was, how steadfast her character was and how mature she was for her age. And, of course, she recognised me as a part of herself, even if she was not privy to the knowledge of what exactly that meant.

And life had become sweet, for the first time since..._him_, I had felt something, my emotions changing from their stagnant state into love and need and desire. Time spent together proved positive for my control and we became closer, both emotionally and physically. And yet, I was still nervous to take that step, scared that during the act I would lose control and harm her...or worse. But Bella's unwavering confidence in me meant that she didn't fully understand the danger that I presented, and she didn't know the whole story. While my words about my virginity were almost true, in terms of female coupling at least, my sexual history was one of blood and death and no place between myself and Bella. Or, at least, that is how it _should_ be. I kept that from her out of fear. How would a human understand such depravity? She was my salvation from my past, even if it seemed to now be catching up to me. To us.

The reveal of her nightmare clearly stated something different, something about Bella's inner yearnings. Something that I would rather not dwell on, but was also becoming an increasing concern. Worse yet, it was becoming more and more of a temptation. Just the thought of the three of us together. I quelled that thought quickly; it would do no one any good to dwell on such things.

The night had started off well, having Bella all to myself was something that I craved every minute of the day, having her in my arms was pure contentment itself. I had consulted with Alice beforehand, but all she would give me was that it needed to be done. The flashing images of Bella's further deterioration was all I needed to know that this was the course I _had_ to take. When Bella had pulled away from me, I had thought my fears were confirmed, her reluctance to consummate our relationship an obvious indicator of the subject of her nightmare. But then Bella had started talking, her halted explanation and description of her nightmare had me feeling as though the past, _my_ past, had come crashing into me.

**Flashback**

_The night was almost black as pitch as I stood hidden in the very rear of what was to be my first human victim's back yard. Within me, guilt was warring with the bloodlust and the need for vengeance. But one thing was certain; Charles Evanson deserved to die. The dreams of the surrounding humans were a hazy background noise within my mind, my concentration solely on the bastard that had caused Esme so much pain in her human life. Seeing through his eyes, he was sitting in his unkept kitchen, drowning in a cheap bottle of whiskey and reminiscing about the whore that he had just let out of his house and sent on her way. He was congratulating himself on the amount of bruises that he had been able to leave behind during the quick coupling that they had engaged in, coming to the conclusion that it was easier to pay for someone to submit to him than train another wife. Apparently, having one so weak to throw herself from a cliff had been enough trouble._

_His thoughts drove my hatred, fuelling my bloodlust. My eyes were black and my throat burned, but I was desperate for this not to be a quick kill. I was determined to make sure that Charles Evanson saw his death coming, felt its claw at his skin, and his soul as his life was slowly drained from him, and he would know that it was for Esme that death had come for him._

_Sick, demented, bastard._

_I entered through the backdoor, my movements silent and stealthy, he noticed neither my entrance, nor my presence behind him as my top lip curved into a silent snarl. I stalked towards him, my hand mere millimetres from the back of his neck when it was brought to my attention that I had a spectator. _

'_Golden eyes. His eyes might be black now, but they were definitely gold before. An Atypical about to fall from grace'_

'_Atypical', the name given to those of us that follow the animal diet. His thoughts were amused, but intrigued, pleasured even. He was enjoying watching me, and I found that I was enjoying his attentions._

'_About to slip...but not out of control, he's choosing this. Revenge...hatred...anger. This was planned, a purposeful fall for this angel.'_

'_Angel', I stilled as his thoughts went over my form. He liked what he saw, very much so in fact. His attraction to me was very much evident and I smirked to myself, my lips lifting in a lopsided smile even as I surprised myself at my own reactions. I was getting hard. Not all that unusual for a seventeen year old, human or otherwise, but still, I had never felt such..._heat_ for a man before. For anyone in fact. Something that I definitely needed to ponder, but now was not the time. Now I had a meal to consume and a man to torture._

'_He hesitates...why? Ohh...he's all sorts of aroused, mmm, I have to meet him. Go on, angel, fall from grace, let me watch your descent'_

_I licked my lips, striding forward without forethought, grabbing Charles Evanson by the scruff of his dirty neck and throwing him into the corner, finding more amusement than I had expected hearing his bones crack and the sluggish smack of his blood as it impacted against his skin. Nothing shed yet though, no I was very careful not to allow him to bleed. Not yet. That candy flowing through his veins was for me and me alone. Not one drop to be wasted._

_I watched as his lifted his head, eyes wide and all blood shot white in his terror. The drab brown of his eyes almost taken out by his pupils as they dilated in the human's pathetic attempt to take everything in. A survival instinct. Not that anything could help him now. His thoughts were gibberish, fevered, and terrified. Beautiful really, confused and screaming out for explanations and escape. My smirk widens, darkens. There will be no escape. _

"_P-please," he whimpered. _

_Begging. Not unexpected. Pathetic, cowardly bastard of a man. He never listened when Esme begged for him to stop._

"_Please? Please what? Please stop? Please do not hurt me? Do not kill me?" I growled, sneering at the poor excuse for life cowering before me. "Did you stop when Esme begged you? Did you take pity and try to mend your ways? Or did you grin and carry on. Hiding behind wrongly placed blame and sick anger?"_

_His eyes widened even further, if that were possible. _

'_Good boy, he has him almost where he wants him. Keep him that frightened for a little while longer and his blood will be all the sweeter.'_

_My friend was still enjoying the show, it seemed, he was captivated and thinking about the emotions? Empath. Interesting. I saw him through my mind then, he was perched on a tree, watching us through the window. And, my god, he was stroking himself through his trousers. Damn it, I was getting distracted._

_Stalking forward, I laughed in the bastards face as he cowered behind his hands and screaming pleas for mercy. But it was his desperate denial of his abused against Esme that had me roaring into his face and crushing his spine. I was lucky that I did not kill him outright then, if not for a curious feeling of calm that overcame me, I would have ripped the shit in half. The stranger, my spectator, it seems can do more than simply sense emotions. Again, most interesting and something that I was very grateful for at that moment._

_He had his cock out now, stroking it slowly, _making_ himself stroke slowly. He was desperate for release, but not until the final moment, not until the final breath. I knew exactly how he felt._

'_Lay him on the table, lay him down and let him see you...let him see your teeth, angel.'_

_I did exactly what he said, enjoying my stranger's surprise and the new ideas running through his head. Charles' legs flopped uselessly off the end as I did so, his garbled screams music to my ears as I leaned over him and smiled wide, showing him my all too perfect teeth; white and sharp and screaming of death. _

_He was calling me Devil in his mind. _

"_Oh no, Charles Evanson, I am not the Devil. Although you will be seeing him soon enough."_

**End Flashback.**

The rest of that evening had been like Bella's; a dark seduction and an introduction to the pleasures of the kill and the other hungers that it could sate. Jasper. He had watched me, even talked me through some of the torture. It had not taken him long to realise my gift, or to use it to both of our advantages, and he had reached his own completion as I drained the last of Charles Evanson's blood from his veins. I had left the house, leaving the drained and mangled corpse on the kitchen table, setting fire to the house and hiding my nights work. It was so much easier to cover kills up back then.

That night I lost my virginity to a man. To Jasper. My mate. Shit. Bella and I's mate. Our trio.

Bella had turned around, and her face was nothing short of horrified. And I just stood there staring at her, because even though I had known the family was on their way back, even though I had heard their thoughts. It just hadn't registered properly in my mind, not in time to warn her. I would be lying if I said I didn't want them to hear it too, but I had never meant for it to come out quite like this. I was too caught up in the past and what seemed to be coming for me...for us again. Not that that is any excuse for this.

Bella.

"Be-" I broke the silence, Alice's mind filling mine with a multitude of visions, a kaleidoscope of possible decisions and outcomes, moving so fast it was difficult to decipher which was born out of what decision. Most of them seemingly stemming from Bella, who was, at this moment, turning a very alarming shade of purple.

"You bastard."

I tried to talk to her, but I couldn't come up with any forgiveness for myself or my actions, let alone expect them from Bella.

She looked so...tired. And so...broken.

I pleaded. I could not think of anything else to say or do.

It didn't work.

She ran away from me.

I didn't look back at the family, I didn't need to. Carlisle was running through the possibilities in his mind, his arm firmly around Esme's waist who was wondering if she should rip my head off on Bella's behalf. I wouldn't struggle if she did. Alice had 'I told you so' on repeat, and she had; told me so, that is. Told me that Bella would tell me, but that the outcome wouldn't be exactly what I was imagining. And yes, in my mind it went a little like this, Bella forgives me and understands my motives. As unrealistic as that seems now, it is easy to recognise irrationality with hindsight. Unfortunately, even with hindsight being 20/20, it is impossible to take something back. No matter how damaging it might be.

Rosalie was her usual stone self, a bitch of the worst sort. Calm and collected. Apparently, I should just leave Bella to it. It was Emmett's thoughts that I shouldn't leave her to think she's completely on her own, that made me move, putting one foot in front of the other until I was watching Bella pack her things into her backpack.

"Bella, please let me explain."

She didn't turn towards me, just froze long enough to let out a stuttered sigh, before getting back to her task.

"Explain what, Edward? That you manipulated me into telling you something so damn private and so personally horrifying, only to make sure that your family heard it too? That there is no way this could be a mistake because you would know from 5 miles out that they were on their way back." I snorted. "Hell, if they ever even left at all."

I wanted to tell her all about Jasper, what her dream likely meant. I wanted to tell her that I love her, that I would do anything for her...that I was terrified she had been dreaming of me killing her. Just the thought that she might be that scared of me set me off into irrationality.

Instead...

"We were worried about you, Bella. We are worried, and you wouldn't talk to anyone about it. I know that this was underhanded and-" I cut myself off as she spun to face me, nothing less that fury that was like a slap in the face.

"I spoke to you. I told YOU! And you must have known that I would, otherwise there would be no point in having everyone come back! Are you happy now? Happy now that you know the depths of the debauchery within my subconscious? That you know exactly why I haven't said anything before now? Why I couldn't?"

Her voice broke and I couldn't stop myself, blurring forward and wrapping my arms around her, holding her to me. I felt so wretched for doing this to her, even worse for taking my own comfort with her in my arms. It has been decades of self-discipline and denial to get me to this point. To get what Alice had promised me all those years ago. I love Bella beyond comprehension.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. I was so worried about you, you have barely been sleeping, and Alice had seen that it would only get worse," I rambled on until I felt her stiffen, kicking myself when I realised what I had said that brought back her ire.

'You should really learn to listen to me, Edward,' Alice thought from downstairs.

She pulled away and I let her. I didn't disguise my fear or my foot in my mouth as she glared at me.

"She did, did she? Well, then, that's alright then. Makes everything better. So, that means that she saw me tell you. Why the hell did you just keep it between us? You know what, never mind. That seriously doesn't matter. What matters now is this...what does Alice's visions tell her now? Hmm?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose as Bella walking out of the house played through my mind thanks to Alice's vision that she practically forced into my head.

Bella walked out of the room.

I stood there, not moving, frozen completely. Just staring at the spot that Bella had been in just seconds before. I didn't breathe, didn't blink. Just stared.

I could hear them talking about me from where they had stayed in the kitchen, granting Bella some privacy and dignity as she left.

"I told him that he should have waited to tell us, and I told you-" There was a smack, followed by a few choice curse words from Emmett "-not to just barge right in there!" Alice spoke to Emmett in her usual bipolar fashion.

"Hey! I thought that someone was going into Bella's room at night. It wasn't what Edward had got his panties in a twist over, she's jonesing for someone else. No wonder he's sulking up in his room, I would too after hearing all of that. And Bella...man, could she have gotten any redder? You reckon she'd let herself get that red if she realised how much more appetising it makes her? I've never seen her so pissed before; I thought for sure that she was going to torch his ass. And what was going on with Edward anyway? Why the hell didn't he tell us all to keep our noses out instead of you all following me in and then standing there like a bunch of surprised puppies?"

Emmett had them all running similar questions through their heads, all expect Alice. She was the only one who knew the truth of the decade I had spent away from the family. Carlisle had his doubts, his theories and his worries. But he had never questioned me when I turned back up on the doorstep with Alice standing beside me, and had not since either. He accepted my apologies and gave me the forgiveness I sought from the man I saw as my father. As much as he could with the garbled truth he had received from me upon my return.

I never told him about Jasper, I never told him about the hedonistic ways that I had fallen into.

He believed me to have fed only on those that I felt deserved death; murderers and rapists and the like.

He only suspected the truth, and if I could help it, he would never have them confirmed.

"Those interfering, flea bitten mongrels!" Alice's sudden growl had everyone's attention, including mine as I swiftly entered the kitchen. Alice was already looking at me, her eyes narrowed with annoyance and her mind blank. "They're going to Bella," she said, rolling her eyes, "When will they get it through their heads that just because I can't _see_ them in my visions, doesn't mean I don't know _where_ they're planning on going and _when_ they're planning on doing it!"

My reaction was immediate as I headed towards garage entrance, my mind blinkered down to the one thought of protecting Bella. The wolves were dangerous, volatile creatures, while they were not ruled by the mood like their distant cousins; they were definitely ruled by their emotions. They hid behind truces and claims of protection of their people and the rest of the human race. But we knew them for what they were; brutal killers. And it was not just my own kind that fell to their claws and teeth. Their Chief and Shaman, William Black, always proclaimed the killings to be right and true. Spouting off half truths and outright lies, keeping the pack's zealous beliefs that the humans killed were destined to be Cold ones, intact.

And now the William's son had joined, taking his rightful place as Alpha, the son that had always fancied himself in love with Bella and was no doubt hoping for an imprint with her. Or worse. If William had realised the chance of Jacob imprinting on Bella as remote and impossible as it truly is, then the teachings may have changed and we would likely find ourselves fending off the rabid beasts when they try to 'save' Bella from her fate.

Alice's foresight was useless in gaining any idea on their goals, that was where my gift would come in, but like she had pointed out she would easily be able to discern when they planned to strike and where. From what I had seen in Alice's mind, there would be a phone call. And that phone call was due to happen within the next thirty seconds. More than enough time for me to intercept whoever they deemed necessary to send over. I could only fathom that this was the reason for Charlie's invitation for a cook out over there this evening, one that he would have normally turned down due to it being a school night for Bella. But William had been relentless in his quest and Charlie had finally, if grudgingly, made the compromise of him switching shifts so that he had Friday night free and the cook out was rearranged. I had seen snippets of it in his mind when I had been by to pick Bella up earlier, albeit fleeting and nonlinear. While Charlie does not possess the same level of shielding as his daughter, the potential is certainly still there and unless he is thinking hard about something, then I am blocked from his thoughts.

Alice stopped me before I had completed two steps, her small hand on my arm and large eyes looking at me with a curious mixture of pleading and annoyance. I huffed out a long breath, glaring down at her and waiting for her to explain her actions. I was in no mood for interference or anymore litanies regarding how she had warned me not to act on something that she had accidentally let slip. As the holder of the future, Alice usually kept it well guarded, but guarding ones thoughts all of the time is night on impossible, and occasionally things slip through that she does not want me to see. Or does not feel that it is right for me to see.

"Edward, you cannot go to her, not now. She is still far too volatile in her emotions; she doesn't want to see _any_ of the family. Rosalie will go, she is more than capable of keeping the curs away."

My own undignified snort was in tandem with Rosalie's bored and annoyed one, mine turning into a growl when Alice forewent the need to allow me to actually voice my objections, preferring to simply talk over me instead.

"Exactly, Edward, Bella hates Rosalie, and Rosalie couldn't give two hoots about Bella." She smiled lovingly over at her mate, images of their past and future liaisons running through her mind, causing me to grimace, "It is simply one of the things that makes her so special." Turning back to me she carried on as if nothing untoward had occurred, "Bella won't get hurt more by being visited by one of us that she cares about. She won't be as embarrassed if Rosalie were to go, that if it were Carlisle, Esme or Emmett." She rolled her eyes again, grimacing to herself and biting her lip. A habit that she had copied from Bella. "Now if you or I were to go, well that would not be pretty. She is understandably mad at you, and would try to take a can of hairspray and her lighter at you. And me? Well, as seen as you didn't explain the situation to her properly, she blames me for the whole debacle as well. Which," Alice poked me hard in the chest, "you _will_ be fixing at the earliest opportunity. I don't want my best friend mad at me because of your impatient and over protective stupidity."

Then, changing completely and smiling like butter would not melt in her mouth, she returned to her mates, standing on her tiptoes to kiss Rosalie goodbye before curling herself around Emmett.

I stood there feeling somewhat redundant as Rosalie walked out at her leisure, choosing to drive instead of run all the way there. Emmett and Alice quickly retired to their room, giving me a sense of relief that everything would turn out well due to Alice's lack of worry, but also inwardly groan at the prospect of Emmett marvelling at how well he can manoeuvre Alice into so many different positions. Smirking, I turned to leave, thinking that if only Emmett knew what I had done, what I had experienced, he would never feel himself superior in terms of sexual encounters and prowess.

"Edward, we need to talk, do you not think?" Esme called out, her voice deceptively kind. Of course, I knew what was coming. My mother and father figures both felt the need to have a talk with their 'first born'. However, Carlisle had more reasons other than my treatment of Bella.

Turning back around, I acknowledged her request, as well as the silent one that the discussion take place in the gazebo on the outskirts of our garden. All the better not to hear the raging sex going on above us. We all took seats beneath the wooden structure, the scent of honeysuckle filling the air from where it wound around the wood above and around us. Esme and Carlisle presented a united front, sitting across from me, taking their time and letting me sweat. Figuratively, of course. It never ceased to amaze me that I still saw them as parents, even after leaving the family when I did, when I returned it was like returning home. They were the only parental figures that I knew, my biological parents nothing but a blurry image that my mind held onto during the change.

"Edward, I do not think that I have to tell you how disappointed I am by the nights turn of events," Esme began, her mind a sea of flowers and nothing more. She was doing her best to hide from me. "But, I feel that things may have turned out for the best." She smiled sadly at my look of utter shock, "I know, that was not what you were expecting, but we have all seen Bella's decline, especially over the last two weeks. Heard her screams in the night when she slept here, and we saw your worry. While I wish that we had found out differently, I do believe that it does not change the fact that we now know, and that there must be some way for us to combat these...desires and fantasies that her subconscious has concocted. I guess it was only a matter of time before our presence and her future began to weigh upon her. It is not surprising that she would dream such things, things that I believe are her survival instincts finally kicking in and warning her away from us."

I schooled my expression, watching Esme carefully; she truly believed what she was saying. She was sure that Bella had concocted these nightmares in a latent attempt at warning herself away from us and from what she is to become.

Carlisle, however, was not so sure, "Unless, of course, there is some other insight that you can give us into this, Edward." he said, studying me as he did so, "Bella's dream was very specific and detailed, and incredibly vivid to her. Not to mention that it was not you that starred in them, it was a nameless male that called to her baser instincts."

I looked away from him, feeling guilty and not wanting him to see that. Not wanting to see the doubt that I heard in his mind etched into his features. Esme understood what her husband was hinting at, gasping quietly and taking Carlisle's hand.

"You believe she is dreaming of their third?" Esme asked, a smile threatening to take over her delicate features. I felt a pang in my chest, knowing that she would not be so happy if she were to find out just who our third was, and yet I still could not tell the truth.

Carlisle was still looking at me as he spoke, "That would be my best guess in this situation, given the severity of Bella's dream and the content. Still, I would think that you would have sensed something also, Edward."

Glancing at him, I smiled wryly, "I have sensed nothing, but then I have spent all of my time focusing on Bella." I answered evenly, and it was the truth. I had not felt the initial pull of finding ones mate; I had not felt it because in essence I had already found both sometime ago.

Carlisle didn't say anything more out loud, instead his calm voice echoed through my mind.

'_I know you, son, I know you and there is something that you are keeping from us'_

"Well, that just will not do." Esme exclaimed, interrupting Carlisle and I's standoff. "He must be a human drinker, which is not unusual of course. Do you think he will be easily brought into our diet? I hate to think of Bella being corrupted in such a way, and Edward having to relive some of his darker days."

I stifled a laugh; Jasper was the epitome of the true vampire. He revelled in blood and all the pleasures derived from it. It was why I knew he would never have come back with me, why I could never have brought him here. After Alice had...I shook my head, looking out towards the forest that bordered our property, but not really seeing it. I was thoroughly encased in the past, in everything that I had succumbed to and fully immersed myself in when I was with Jasper.

I always knew that we would meet again. I wanted it, longed for it, needed it. There was no way of being whole without your third, especially not after having met and been with them. The question is; which one of Alice's prophesised futures would come true.

Would Bella and I be able to resist temptation and bring Jasper into the light?

Or would we fall with him and revel in the darkness?

**A/N So...there it is. I hope everyone enjoyed it, feel free to leave any comments, questions or spanks in my review box. If there's anyone still reading that is LOL. **


	5. Chapter 5

**I can't apologise enough for the amount of time it took to update this. I can tell you that it will be finished, and while I can't promise weekly updates, I can promise that they will be coming sooner that previously. Thanks goes to my beta goddess, Mynxi, and my wifey, TheChickNorris for pre-reading. I hope some are still with me, and that you enjoy this chapter...**

**And no, I haven't morphed into SM in the time between chapters. I still do not own Twilight.**

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_M-A-R-I-A_

I lounged back on the obscenely large and plush sofa, one hand lazily tracing the woven pattern, broken by streaks of crimson, still drying and sinking deep within the fibres. My other hand ran lazy sweeps through the hair of the young woman sitting at my feet, her stuttered breathing a delightful cadence and the only sign of life in the room. We had happened upon the house as we drove into Spokane, sounds of music, laughter and drunken fuelled conversation having gained our attention and sparked our thirst. The gathering had afforded us plenty of entertainment and a chance to make up for the days of none stop travelling that Jasper had insisted upon. A much needed stop in our hastily thrown together road trip.

My pet cowering on the floor was the only one left alive, her wide and frightened eyes had drawn me to her as she tried to hide in the corner, her screams having dissolved into nothing more than breathless whimpers as she had witnessed the demise of her friends and family, echoing with such sweet despair. It gives me no pain to admit that in our hunger, we had been less than careful when taking our fill, the music turned up loud and booming, drowning out the screams from anyone close enough to hear anything. The thrum of the bass moved through us all as we moved from one to the next, tasting here and ripping there. Some of the blood being wasted as it arched elegantly across the room, treating the space to a macabre and impromptu make over.

Humans really do have an irrational aversion to blood considering that they are so filled with it, especially when torn screaming from their veins. I laugh quietly to myself as I recalled Charlotte getting a little carried away with one of the braver ones, one that had tried to fight back. She had stood still, one eyebrow raised in amused question as he had hit her with all of his strength with the baseball bat held tight in his hands. I had watched as his muscles bunched, rippled and shook from the force of the hit. His radius and ulna shattered from the impact, the bat splintering and piercing his flesh as his bones mirrored their efforts from the inside out. Charlotte, in true and beautifully dangerous form, had gripped the screaming mortal around his throat and made him watch as she tore into the woman he had been trying to protect, before draining him soon after. I always found it an enchanting sight to watch Charlotte as she feeds.

There is something erotic and deeply satisfying about watching your mate feed, even more so if you are the one providing the meal, offering the life up for taking. It is the same with Peter of course, though his usual style is much more male. His enjoys the hunt, drawing it out, letting them sweat. He says it makes the blood stronger, triggering the survival instinct of his victim. As it is, with the veritable bloodbath that had been inspired this evening, he simply took his fill, getting lost along with the rest of us, to his bloodlust and the animal inside.

It is something that I have always loved about our kind, that our beautiful and alluring facades hide a multitude of sins.

Jasper is the only one that I have ever seen keep constant control. Calm, analytical, and detached, he would still be smiling as he ripped you apart. Even as a newborn, while unable to resist the blood offered, he still managed to focus and look at me with incredible hatred. He never lost himself, blaming me for bringing him into this life. And rightly so. I used to think of it as him keeping hold of his humanity. It had been so sadistically satisfying, watching him rage against me and yet know that he had nowhere else to go, that he was at my mercy.

Our first few decades together were tumultuous at best, though he was loyal to a fault. Peter's arrival in our fold changed everything, finding the first of my mates brought a clarity and fulfilment that I had never felt before. I am not talking of fuzzy feelings of warmth, though I loved him almost from the first moment, it was more a feeling of balance.

It brought Jasper and I to a new understanding, Peter befriending Jasper the way that he did, brought him out of the darkness that he had forced himself into. Helped him get past his need for revenge, his craving for what he had been before, helped him embrace himself and the power that we would all wield together. Peter never had a problem with the nature he had found himself born into, his newborn stage was over relatively quickly, soon gaining control of himself and his instincts and facing his new found nature head on and with pride. Peter was the bridge that we had needed, or maybe simply the catalyst for me to see Jasper in a different light. From then on we worked as a team. Jasper's newfound enjoyment of his position and situation made for a much better working relationship. And, quite frankly, Peter kept me satisfied and happy with days of nothing but worshiping each other's bodies. And the Charlotte had arrived, I smile wickedly to myself remembering _that_ wake up from the burn.

"I just want to understand why you think it's a good idea to throw ourselves into the hornets' nest," Peter's voice interrupted my revelry, my hand not ceasing in its movements through my pet's hair, easily moving through the drying clots of blood that saturated it, the winces of pain that it drew out of her as it pulled at her scalp a nice backdrop to the conversation I was now listening to. "You know better than anyone that the group of Atypical's don't scare me none, but it don't seem too intelligent to just waltz on in there when two of them will be in danger of bein' taken to the 'dark side'."

I laughed in delight at his tone, as did Charlotte as she came to join me on the sofa, lying on her back with her head in my lap. Peter's disdain for the Cullen's view of our kind was never something that could be missed or misunderstood. He was what he was, and never made excuses for it, he revelled in it. He didn't see any point to trying to go against our nature and lower ourselves to the consumption of animal blood, or look down on those of us that keep true to ourselves and took he Cullen's 'holier than thou' view as a personal insult.

I leaned down to capture Charlotte's mouth in a soft kiss, licking at her lips as Jasper snorted, "You know full and damn well that not a one of them would go against the Volturi, while our presence won't be enjoyed, it will not be refused. Hell, if we wanted to, we could waltz, as you put it, right into their house and demand quarter."

Peter and Jasper had started arguing as soon as Jasper had revealed his plan to meet his mates. That was a month ago, one month of nothing but grumbling and growling, shouting and cussing between the both of them. I was bored, I knew that we'd be doing whatever Jasper wanted to do, and I didn't even care that we would have to wear irritating contact lenses to hide our eyes, taking on the pretence to humanity in a weak attempt to fit in with the cattle. In my mind, there was no use arguing, just get used to it and look forward to the all you can eat teen buffet.

Of course, there would never be any 'fitting in', the humans always knew that we are different, some primitive part of their brain sparking off a useless and confusing warning that they need to flee as fast as their weak little hearts would allow them. Not that I minded if they did, it always got the blood pumping, sweeter, headier. So much more satisfying. Letting them think that they've gotten away, watching them lock the door and check the windows, turn on the television to make themselves feel less alone, maybe call a friend to come over for moral support. The more the better.

Absently, I pet the woman, feeling her silent sobs tremor through my fingers and a contented smile on my lips. She'd screamed and cried as Peter had leisurely drained her husband, begged for mercy and tried to cover her ears from his screams as she sagged in defeat at his last gurgled gasps of air. I watched her, not Peter, drawn in by her tears and anguish, her terror. It really is beautiful to see a human's reactions, to catalogue their emotions and physical breakdown as they fight to understand what they're seeing. I sat down with her, pulling her shaking form to kneel on the floor, she did as bade without any fight, a shell of the bright young woman I had spied when we had first entered the room. She knew that there was no way out, still, she was a pretty little thing. I toyed with the idea of changing her for playing with later. Probably not worth the trouble, not with our current assignments. A newborn isn't exactly the easiest of travel companions and, besides, humans are always ready and waiting to be played with. They just don't realise it. I would find a new toy at a later date.

"Alice will know that we're comin', you think that she won't have them runnin'?" Peter said for what had to be the fifteenth time.

Growling, Jasper turned from him and stalked to the window, looking out and not looking back to Peter as he answered, his voice filled with dry annoyance. "Yes, Peter, I haven't thought of that. Not before you brought it up the first time, or the countless times afterwards."

I stifled a laugh at Jasper's tone, he really doesn't like to be questioned, and Peter is only getting away with this because of the friendship behind the more professional relationship. Still, I knew that Peter was only a hairs breath away from being physically silenced. A pity it wouldn't be with Jasper's cock, he really isn't one to reward for insolence. Separating the problem from its source it the most effective way of solving a problem and Peter can't talk if his head isn't attached to his body. I would be angry about the possibility if I didn't know he would live through it, besides, Charlotte and I would be able to keep ourselves busy until Jasper decided that he wanted his second back.

"The boys need to find a new topic, mi querido," I whispered against Charlotte's lips, her smile mirroring my own.

"True enough, Peter's just disgruntled about the possibility of having to act like food. I don't think he's caught on that Jasper would never set him up as a school student," she replied, just for my ears, as we continued to taste each other's lips. "Peter is a lot of things, but a teenager he is not." She ended with a giggle, arching up to kiss me more forcefully, her hand winding into my hair.

"Fuck. Fine, I know there's no fuckin' point in arguin', but shit, Jasper. Can't I stay back at the house? I work best on recon, not shoved in the middle of fuckin' teenagers pretendin' to be one of them."

I looked to Peter, glancing at Charlotte and shared a moment of amusement at the men. Peter was almost pleading. Almost. He would never stoop so low as to actually beg. I decided this was the time for me to interrupt, my boredom and irritation spiking. I had had more than enough of this over the last month.

"Peter, mi guerrero, there is no way that Jasper expected you to come to school with us. You were twenty-five when turned, how are you planning on passing for a teenager? I'm disappointed that you fell for it at all." I addressed Peter, one eyebrow raised and a sly smile gracing my lips.

"Spoil all my fun, Maria, and are you going to eat that? We have no room for playmates on this trip." Jasper interrupted, motioning to the woman.

Cutting my eyes to him, I raise my eyebrow to a sharper angle, unimpressed at his tone. "She's mine to do with as I will, Jasper, you might be elevated within the Volturi, but I am still the Mistress of the Southern Armies and your sire and deserve your respect. Now put Peter out of his misery and tell him your plan. I'm bored and I want action, you've had me leading you into your human mate's dreams...which are sinfully delightful by the way," I say with a slow smirk, my eyes darkening as I remembered the wonderful subconscious thoughts that I had to play with.

One of the most pleasant experiences was being inside Bella's mind, a decadent and wild reward after the difficulty of gaining access in the first place. That girl's mind was locked tight and she didn't even know it. It had taken almost twenty-four hours of constant tuning and tweaking before I had managed to slip through. It became easier as time went on, eventually enabling us to 'visit' her every time she slept, almost as if she wanted us there, anticipating it. She finally stopped fighting my intrusion.

"And yet we are still stalling our arrival, I'm not sure what you're waiting for."

Jasper was _very_ pleased with me when it became apparent that his little human was unconsciously yearning for our disturbance.

His answering smirk was pure dark, male satisfaction, his eyes shining with lust and pride, "Edward doesn't know what's we have hidden inside that innocent human packaging."

"Of course he doesn't, I'd wager that he thinks of her as his salvation. His innocent lover, come to him to help keep him from the big bad mate that he left behind. Maybe he even thinks that she will win you over, Jasper. Are you craving deer yet?" Charlotte piped in, shaking her head smiling, "Oh, if he could only see inside her head."

"No...she doesn't know it herself, the nearer to waking that she gets, the more she fights and then pretty much throws us out. She's disgusted and frightened by her own desires; I doubt that Edward would've picked up on any of it. But, my God, I would love to see his face if he could witness her dream." Jasper trails off, lost in his thoughts, his eyes shining, black and deep, leaving no doubt at his fantasies.

"I'm sure you'll take great pleasure in makin' sure that he knows exactly what she's been dreamin'. Now, what the fuck is the plan? I need to make arrangements, gather intel, and arrange the paper work." Peter interrupted, looking like his usual calm self, now that he knew he wouldn't be expected to play hormonal teenager and obviously just wanting to get to the point.

"We'll be utilising the wolves, staying under the fortune cookie's radar." He looked up, likely at the collective irritation from us at his news, and a look that clearly meant no back talk firmly on his face, "I don't want to hear it." He paused, looking at each of us.

Peter simply nodded; Charlotte huffed and motioned for him to continue, while I straighten out the disgusted look on my face. With a nod, he continued, "It's the mutts or Alec and I hate being around that...abomination." He shuddered, standing straighter.

Jasper hates Alec and his twin sister, Jane. They were changed young, too young. Just old enough to not be classified as the outlawed and taboo Immortal Children, but their eternity of living on the perpetual cusp of puberty had left them in a world of their own and apart from ours. Their gifts had assured them rank within the Volturi numbers, exalted even in their outcast positions, Null and Agony. They were a formidable pair, and one that I avoided as much as possible.

"We move out as soon as Maria and I have finished. I want to be on her mind when we make our presence known. I want to see her first, not him."

I lost interest then, leaving the boys to talk of their toys and make plans for pretty little brunettes, knowing that Jasper would have me accompany him when they had finished. The idea of hiding within the wolves' territory, while abhorrent, was necessary. It would keep us under the radar, and the uneasy truce that existed between our races would keep us from attacking each other. However, one had to wonder how their stance was on the human destined to be turned. It was well known their usual plans to secure a person's humanity, and snapping their mortal coil was not something the wolves shied away from. For the 'greater good', of course. The mangy little boys, elevated to immortal status during puberty and lead in zealous faith by their Shaman, hating the treaty but never questioning why it was made in the first place. William Black may be the ancestor of Ephraim Black, but he doesn't come close to his ancestor.

I watch the men for a few moments, my mind elsewhere and on times forgotten as one generation of wolves had chosen mortality and died off and another was born. One much more dangerous in their stunted, but strong beliefs. They could be a problem; I could foresee lupine blood spilt on the horizon. Maybe it would teach them a lesson. Maybe it would start a war.

Charlotte was now looking curiously down at my pet, who had now stilled other than the occasional shudder. She smelt so sweet. Like sunshine wrapped in candy.

"Are you planning on keeping her to yourself? Or can we share?" Charlotte asked, licking her lips suggestively and leaning forward with a gleam in her eyes that I've loved since the moment she woke from the change.

"Now how can I resist an offer like that?" I purr, pulling the woman up by her hair, ignoring her renewed screams and struggles as I dip my head down, my lips skimming over her sweat salty skin, my teeth puncturing enough to draw blood and drink, but not to puncture the artery. My lips and mouth coated thickly in the warm, viscous liquid, I turn to Charlotte and take her waiting mouth with mine. Our tongues entwining slowly as she samples the offering.

Her voice is thick with desire when she pulls back, her eyelids at half mast, "Delicious."

I smile, licking over her lips, "Now, now, baby...you know full well that's just the appetiser."

oOo

One long, drawn out and thoroughly enjoyed meal later, Charlotte and I lay entangled and naked on the newly christened sofa, my short lived pet forgotten and broken on the floor, silent and cold in her death. She had given us much pleasure in her final moments. The blood drying on our skin flaked away easily as our hands still roamed over each other's skin, our passions sated for the moment, as we lay entwined and listening to the plans as they were laid, simply enjoying our afterglow.

"There is a cottage located on the outskirts of Quillette land, as far from the Cullen's boarder as you can get," Peter spoke as he and Jasper leaned over a map that he had laid out on the dining room table, his finger pointing out the spot he was referring to. "We'll also be out of the mutt's hair, so to speak, though I wouldn't put it past the mangy bastards to set up regular patrols in the vicinity, still their stench will cover our scents in the case of one of the Atypical's gettin' too close."

I watched as Jasper nodded, his eyes trained on the map. "Good. I want our arrival to be as much of a surprise as possible, their little early warning system will pick up on my decision as soon as it takes us away from the wolves, that has to be both planned and last minute. We either need a distraction or to wait till they're too far away to come back in time to interfere."

"Then we wait till we're already there, I'm sure we can come up with somthin' suitable," Peter laughed back, obviously looking forward to the challenge and inevitable confrontation.

"We're done here," Jasper stated decisively, catching my eye after doing so, a dark smile on his lips "Maria, I need your services, it's time to let my fledgling mate know that I am coming for her."

oOo

Situated on a king sized bed, naked upon it's white silken sheets, I knelt behind Jasper as he sat cross legged in front of me. My fingertips resting lightly on his temples and both of our eyes closed, I reach for him with my gift, allowing my consciousness to seek out his and draw him to me, capturing his essence as I push us both outwards towards our goal. My gift works best if I have met the subject before any dream infiltration, needing to know that persons specific 'vibrations', if you will. In this instance, I had used her connection to Jasper as my guide to her, the need for her soul's completion echoed through my consciousness as I sorted her out. Still, it had proved to be most difficult to persevere the first time.

Now, it was like slipping on your favourite pair of shoes, welcoming, comfortable and familiar. Now she shone within the darkness of the dreaming world, a light brighter than any other mortals around her, a beacon in the darkness calling us to her. I felt Jasper's anticipation rise as, he too, sensed our closeness to her, and I allowed myself to smile at the knowledge that I was helping bring him to the one that would, quite literally, complete him.

The connection and incorporation of myself into a mortal's dream was much like sinking through warm water, falling into their subconscious, dissolving almost until I am fully integrated. With her mind though, it had been like hitting steel. Hard and unyielding. As I had persevered, it slowly became more like wading through quicksand, allowing me through but not without pressure. The shielding became thinner and thinner each time, but still not giving in completely. I had a feeling that it was simply a natural response on her part. We came upon her light and I took us into it, expecting the same ease that I had gotten used to.

Only this time we were rebuffed, staggering back as much as one can when simply a thought or a whim, a consciousness floating free.

Jasper's irritation and confusion spiked through me, forcing me to push it away and concentrate on my task. I probed more carefully, finding that while she was deeply asleep, something was stopping her ability to fall into REM state. Again, I tried, only to be denied, frustration and anger consuming me and breaking my concentration, sending Jasper and I back into the real world.

"What the _fuck_ happened?" Jasper growled out, glaring at me from where he was now standing at the side of the bed.

"I would wager that she has been drugged to allow her to sleep without dreaming," I responded, watching Jasper carefully, and attempting to keep my calm and feeling a little spike of unease as I witnessed for the first time Jasper losing his. Being refused entry after working so hard to gain it was beyond frustrating. For both of us.

"Can you overcome it? I thought that as long as the person was sleeping, you could force them into REM?"

I sighed, short and quick. "Jasper, you know what my gifts are, but I cannot force a mind to do something that it has been denied for a short while. Whatever she has been given to sleep is blocking the minds ability to dream. You knew that our frequent excursions and control of her dreams could result in it becoming recurring for her. Carlisle doesn't have to be a talented doctor to know what to give her to allow her to sleep; you know full well that humans deteriorate when experiencing insomnia. She may enjoy the dream at the heart of herself, but her waking self thinks of it as a nightmare."

I watch calmly as Jasper lets out his anger by destroying the bedside table, leaving it a pile of splinters and glass by the bed. I could see him pull in on himself to retain his sense of calm. "However, the drug will not last forever, nor will they be able to give it to her on a regular basis. It _will_ ware off before she wakes, I shall keep watch over her and as soon as I gain access to her luminal consciousness I shall call you."

I loathed feeling like I had to appease someone that had been my subordinate for many decades, someone that I had sired. While I knew that his questioning of my gift was born of anger and aggravation, it was still difficult to resist the urge to stay quiet and answer without anger or irritation.

Jasper's smirk and raised eyebrow told me that he knew exactly what I was feeling, and therefore what I was thinking, and his nod was respectful, "Thank you."

Smiling, I simply close my eyes and take myself back to her, waiting for my chance on the outskirts of her mind.

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**Review if you like, I'd really like to know what you think about this :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks goes to Mynxi for working her beta magic on this chapter. Treacle, I love you hard! Obviously, I don't own Twilight, though it would be fun if I did.**

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_E~D~W~A~R~D_

It was just a glimpse, a little foretaste, not even a full minute, but I saw it. I saw into Bella's mind. And the image was clear as crystal.

A woman, obviously a vampire, her red eyes attesting to her choice of diet. Dark hair that curled and fell down behind her shoulders. Maria. I recognised her instantly. At first Maria had seemed confused, shocked and maybe even scared. And then her face filled with nothing short of malicious glee. Devious excitement. In my minds eye I replayed what I had witnessed and I could still see her reaching for Bella just before she woke up. I had heard Bella's panicked thoughts, and I could tell that she had no idea who this woman was and that she had never seen her before. This glimpse, as unexpected and astounding as it was, had been engraved onto my brain, a permanent scar on my memories landscape. Even though the peek into Bella's dream was gone as suddenly as it had appeared.

I was standing in the doorway to my bedroom in time to see Bella's eyes snapped open. Other than that, she didn't move. Not an inch, and for a moment, she wasn't even breathing. I stood rigid as the only noise within the room was the rapid beating of her heart while she lay stiff in the bed, my mind trying to make sense of what I had just...seen? It had only been a glimpse, a second, an impossible snapshot. But it was something that I had never seen before, something that I had given up all hope of ever seeing. I was not entirely sure why or how it had happened, or what it was that I had really seen. I could remember it with perfect detail, of course, and what I saw confirmed my theories of the origins of Bella's dreams.

Maria. Which also lead to the easy conclusion that Jasper does, indeed, know about Bella and about us, about what she means to Jasper and I. It would only be a matter of time before he came here. Knowing Jasper as I did, it was possible that he was already here. Waiting for the right moment.

Even though this was something I was already mostly sure of, I was at a momentary loss at what to do about it. I had always known that this would happen. Alice's visions had shown as much when she had approached me all those years ago. I also knew that everything hinged on Bella. The future had already been altered when I left with Alice instead of rejoining Jasper, the tragedy averted. But now it would be a different set of decisions that would carve out our future. Thinking back to what I had just witnessed, Bella had mentioned nothing of Maria when she had finally confessed about her dreams. And simply going off her behaviour right at that moment, it was obvious that she had never seen her before. And 'seen her' was correct, from my view point Maria had been just as shocked at the events as Bella was right now.

"Bella?" I spoke softly, hesitantly, "Are you alright? I...I saw..."

She frowned as she sat in the large bed, pushing herself upright till she was resting against the cool metal headboard. She looked so small in that moment, her hair tussled from sleep and surrounded by layers of white sheets and plush pillows. Thankfully, she looked more rested than I had seen her in recent weeks, the medication that Carlisle had administered seeming to have worked as it should. I smiled as she rubbed her eyes, such a human gesture. And, while her limbs were still heavy from sleep, she wasn't shaking or crying, she hadn't screamed or fretted. Other than her shocked rousing from her sleep, she had been able to enjoy her first restful hours in longer than I cared to remember. She had slept the day away.

"You saw what?" her voice was croaky from sleep, and I handed her a glass of water that Alice slipped into my grasp as she flitted past. I sat down on the edge of the bed as she drank, my fingertips moving gently over her cheek before tucking her hair behind her ear.

I reached for her hand where it lay against the soft sheets, tentatively mapping out her digits, before entwining our hands together. "I saw you."

She was confused, the adorable crease between her eyebrows showed me that much. In that moment it seemed like torture that I had been allowed but a glimpse, only to have her silent and locked to me once again.

"Did Alice have a vision or something?" she asked.

"No...Bella," my tone was somewhat bemused, and I could see the curiosity come alight in her eyes as I went on to clarify. "I _heard_ you."

"Heard me?" she frowned, "Sorry, my neurons aren't firing fast enough yet...have I been talking in my sleep again? I don't remember if I dreamed or not, other than right before I woke up. Which I'm taking as a good thing, although that dream was really creepy. But you've heard me sleep talk before..._oh God_, did I say something really embarrassing? Or bad? Was it bad?"

I rushed to explain further, not wanting her to panic any more than she already was. "Your mind, love. I heard your thoughts. I _saw_ your dream...just now, just before you woke up."

A maelstrom of emotions swept over her features. "You can hear my mind now?" she asked, her voice shaking. I took her glass from her, setting it on the nearby table before taking both of her hands in mine. I knew that her thoughts had always been the one thing that she had been able to keep to herself, her last vestige of privacy when surrounded by beings such as myself. All equipped with enhanced hearing, scent, and vision. Bella had been wary of that at first, so much so that the first couple of months of being here regularly left her so constipated that Alice had fitted air vents and automatic room fresheners to make her comfortable enough in the house.

"No, not anymore. It was just a glimpse. A snapshot." I could not help my smile; I was so awed by the events. But I was worried. Worried about what this meant, what was coming. Worried that Maria had gained access despite Bella's shield and that she would do again.

"You saw that woman?" she asked, obviously able to remember what had transpired just before waking. She was still curious but a little more relaxed knowing that I hadn't been granted full admittance to her thoughts. As much as I disliked her minds silence, I loved that it all the same. Not only did it provide me solace, but Bella's comfort meant more to me than being able to read her mind.

At her question, I knew that my expression became serious, in turn causing Bella's curious frown to morph into a worried one. "Yes. I saw her."

I sat there as Bella's eyes flitted over my face, studying my expression. I knew what I had to tell her about me, about my past, and what it meant for our future; it would be hard for Bella to hear. It would be hard for me to tell. Part of me hoped that she would understand why I had kept it from her for so long, but the larger part wanted her to be angry at me. Wanted her to find forgiveness through that, something that I deserved given the circumstances.

"I've never seen her before," she said softly, waiting for me to give her more information.

I shook my head, the smile that tugged at my lips was wry and spoke only of my anger at the intrusion that Bella had suffered at the hand of Maria. Jasper's bitch and one time mistress. Any jealousy that I felt at that moment was irrational, Maria was not Jasper's mate, she had only filled the purpose of sexual relief. But the emotion was still present, even with the full knowledge that I had left him all those years ago. I knew that I had a lot to answer for, and not just to Bella.

"No, I expect not." I paused, feeling anguished and cautious. "But I have."

"What?" she asked in shock, her stance changing immediately as she sat up, kneeling in front of me, and looking me straight in my eyes. I did not offer anything else yet, no further explanation, my heart twisting as I allowed the information to sink in for her. I swallowed nervously as Bella's expression dissolved into anger, soon building into rage. "I've just woken up from the best sleep I've had in _so long, _I've been manipulated into exposing my deepest secrets to you and your family...I've been _drugged_. You tell me what the hell is going on, and you tell me now, because you damn well obviously know what it is."

"Her name is Maria. She is leader of the Southern Armies, along with her two mates. They are allied with the Volturi. She is what we call a Dreamwalker."

Bella and I had spoken about the Volturi before, even glossed over the Southern Armies, but there was never any depth in our discussions about the vampire ruling class. Bella rubbed her hands over her face, scrubbing the skin and pressing the heels of her hands against her eyes. It was a sure sign that she hadn't fully woken as yet.

"I...I don't understand," she sighed, obviously mentally tired even if her body had finally gotten some of the rest that it craved. "Why would she be...whatever it is that she's doing? _Walking_ in my dreams?"

I frowned, Bella sounded so exasperated, and I really couldn't blame her. I stared hard at the comforter adorning Bella's bed as I gathered my thoughts, darting my tongue out to wet my lips. "Maria's ability is more than just being able to...peruse a person's dreamscape. She can influence them...guide them by manipulating and planting ideas, nudging them towards the right dreams or nightmares depending on what it is that she wants or what she has been ordered to do. The Volturi use her to keep tabs on, and to some extent control, certain humans that may be useful to them."

I watched her then, waited for her to understand what I was saying, I wanted her to connect the dots for herself. She sat there, her eyes darting between mine, and then they slowly widened as what I was saying dawned on her.

"Oh," She breathed out, a slight crease between her brows that disappeared as the realisation hit her. "_Oh!_" And I knew that she had understood. "She's the reason for my nightmares?" she gasped, her face relaxing into elation and relief. I knew that it was due to her new found knowledge that her nightmares, that seemed so deplorable and sadistic to her, had been because of someone else's influence and invasion. She laughed, grinning like a fool, looking for all the world as if she no longer had a care within it. She was obviously concentrating on that and not on the fact that someone had gained access to her previously impenetrable mind, or about the intrusion at all. "It wasn't me? She gave me those dreams?"

"Those dreams were of her making, though I must tell you that she cannot introduce something that wasn't there in the first place." I hastened to continue when Bella's face dropped and her eyes filled, her head shaking vigorously from side to side. "It could be the most hidden desire, or even a passing thought, but just like Aro has access to each and every thought, idea or desire that has ever crossed a person's mind through just one touch, Maria has access to the mind she is walking in at the time. But to a lesser extent, more that she can..." I trailed off, searching for the right words, "she automatically looks for the darkness within a person's psyche. She is drawn to it and has honed her ability to be able to draw it out."

"But...but, I've _never_ wanted to kill anyone, Edward. Let alone take...pleasure in it," Bella said, her tone begging me to believe her.

"I know, I know, love. But even the most innocent of creatures harbours a darker place inside of them. A place that may never see the light of day, but that gives Maria the weakness she needs to complete the task she has been given."

"Task? She was tasked with attacking my mind?" Bella demanded.

"From what I can tell, yes," I answered simply.

"By who? And why was she able to do it in the first place? You told me that I had a shield, a powerful one, you said it was... Impenetrable was your word of choice, that my possession of such a gift whilst human pointed to a definite gift once I had been turned!"

"I know, I know what I said, Bella. And, truthfully, I have no idea how she managed to get through, I will be discussing the matter with Carlisle, I can assure you. As for the 'who', I think I know."

I reached into my pocket, pulling out the picture I had sketched earlier. I took a moment to look into the eyes of one Jasper Whitlock that stared out at me from the parchment. I knew that it was an accurate depiction of his face, as a vampire not even a photograph would be able to be truer than something drawn from our perfect memory and with our perfect and steady hands. Taking a deep breath, as useless as it may be for my kind, the action still brought about a modicum of bolstered bravado. I was still holding onto some irrational hope that I was wrong and it was simply Maria having her own brand of heartless fun. With that wish repeating in my mind, I passed the sheet of paper over to Bella.

Her shock was palpable in the room, bringing forth memories of Jasper's empathic abilities. I knew from what she had described that he had been a part of her nightmares, his consciousness piggybacking Maria's as they entered Bella. I also knew that his power would have full effect on Bella's emotions, her shield would not automatically hide from him. At least not while still human. The fact brought about more possibilities that I cared to think about, it was imperative that I didn't fall back into the darkness that had shrouded me during the decade spent with Jasper.

_Whitlock_. My mind reminded me. I used to call him Whitlock, and to him I was Masen. Only moments of pure bliss and hedonistic pleasure that either of us slipped up and called out the other's given names.

_**Flashback**_

_Philadelphia was wet and dreary as we entered the city limits. Whitlock and I were walking side by side, our collars drawn up as if to ward off the rain, though neither the wetness nor the cold bothered us at all. It was welcome, really, a useful cover. It meant that we were able to walk through the streets in broad daylight, knock shoulders with the populace as it were. Our path was straight and true, the crowds' instinctive parting giving us both the heady feeling of immortals walking among the cattle. _

_My thoughts revolved around feeding and fucking, even as they wound through the mundane mutterings of the minds around me. Whitlock's mind held most of my attention, the scenarios flashing through his thoughts fuelling my own fantasies and desires. I smirked, laughing quietly when the action scared a young girl that had previously been staring in wonderment at the two of us. It wasn't entertainment of the female variety that Jasper was after today; he wanted to have the victims cum covering its own body as we drained it._

"_Your thoughts are spiralling, Whitlock, make a choice and I will make it happen," I spoke, low and needy. He knew exactly what effect his ideas were having on both my libido and thirst. My throat and cock were both burning and in need of attention. I could not imagine ever getting tired of this._

"_Find an adequate star for this production to happen, I will find the entertainment," he purred into my ear as he dragged me into a nearby alley and out of sight of any curious stares. "And then I will find _you_."_

_**End of Flashback**_

"That's him..." Bella's quiet admission brought me back to the present. "This is the man from my dream, the...the vampire." She looked up at me, her eyes pleading. "Who _is_ he? Why is he doing this to me?"

"His name is Jasper Whitlock, he commands the Volturi's Elite Guard in Aro's name," I intoned, my voice barely anything more than monotone in nature.

"But that doesn't tell me _why!_" Bella cried out, standing from the bed and fisting her hands in her hair. "Have I done something to offend the Volturi in some way? Or is this some kind of sick joke to these people?"

I stood and tried to reach for her, my chest constricting when she pulled away, only to bang her elbow on the corner of the dresser. "Shit," she cursed, rubbing her humorous quickly.

"You know more, I can tell you know more. I can _feel_ that there is more to this. Please, Edward, please stop torturing me this way," she begged and I choked at her words, _torture?_ "I can see that you're scared to tell me, but I don't care. I DON'T CARE, EDWARD!" she screamed towards the end, throwing her hands down to her side and tears running down her face.

"You are right, Bella...there is so much more to this. Can you...can you sit back down? Please, Bella?"

Shaking her head, she backed up until her back was flush against the windows that lined my room floor to ceiling. "No, just damn well tell me. Just _tell_ me."

I nodded.

_**Flashback**_

"_Do you remember the first night we met?" Whitlock asked me, unnecessarily, of course I remembered. Even without my kind's indelible memory, that night would forever be ingrained in my mind. Still, I hummed my answer as Whitlock's lips blazed a wet trail down my neck, "You were amazing that night, Masen."_

_I chuckled, running my hands over his naked shoulders, skimming down over his back. "Was that before or after you masturbated while watching me torture and kill?"_

"_Mmm, your fall from grace was definitely a beautiful sight." He nipped at my ear, sucking it into his mouth as he moved to cover me completely with his body. The dried blood from out last meal flaked off between us as he moved sinuously above me. "But you know exactly what I was thinking about."_

_I did. He had been replaying the memory before he voiced his thoughts, a retelling of our first encounter in his mind._

"_Hmm, your way of informing me of the mating bond was certainly creative," I groaned out, palming and gripping his ass._

"_I didn't hear you complaining, Masen," he murmured, moving against me, his cock just as hard and in need as mine as they ground together. "I remember you begging me to enter you, to fill you."_

_He had been waiting for me when I left the scene, I could still taste Charles Evanson's blood, was still licking the last drops of Charles' off my teeth as I walked towards him. Things had moved quickly, I had veritably stalked towards him without thought or remorse to my actions. He had met me head on, and his thoughts had been a jumble of want, need, and desire, mixed with surprise and contentment of finding one of his mates. I remember my own surprise, my own questions. I had never thought of another male in the way I was thinking of him right at that moment. He battled my confusion with his hands and mouth on my skin, assuring me that this was perfectly normal, and not something to fight. That we were mated. And it had, indeed, had me begging for him._

_I growled, all bass and need, "Are you looking for a repeat performance?"_

"_Fuck yes," he growled out, lifting his head to suck and lather his fingers with his venom, keeping eye contact as his hand disappeared down to slide his fingers into my ass, stretching me, making me ready for him._

_**End of Flashback**_

"The first time I met Jasper Whitlock, I was hunting my first human kill," I spoke softly, looking to the floor instead of Bella's eyes. I could smell her tears, but there was no way I was going to be able to see the recrimination and hate in her eyes. "I had left Carlisle and Esme, having grown disillusioned with the atypical lifestyle."

"Atypical?" Bella asked quietly.

I nodded, still not looking up at her. "It's what other's call us for our choice to drink from animals instead of humans. I wanted to know what human blood tasted like, to see life from a different point of view, so to speak."

"You wanted to see how it was to live without denying your cravings?" Bella asked and I lifted my eyes to hers, surprised at the understanding that I saw there.

I nodded, "Yes. Carlisle and Esme both tried to stop me, of course. But I was set in my decision, and so sure that I could live off the dregs of society. Murderers and rapists, thieves and the like." I paused, and allowed myself to bask in the memories for just a moment before carrying on, "My first victim was Charles Evanson. Esme's husband before her change. He had been abusive, he still was. Not only was I set on making him pay for what he had done to Esme, but for what he was sure to do as his violence intensified as time went on. Jasper...Jasper was there, watching me as I..." _tortured, terrorised, mutilated, _"killed him. And we spoke soon after."

Steeling myself, I stopped trying to hide and just told her, ignoring her gasp as I did. "We fucked," I said bluntly. It was true. It had been a brutal and animalistic mating, one that had spelled out the violence and bloodshed that would be our lives for the next decade. "That night I found the first of my mates. Our mate."

"Our third?" it was nothing above a whisper, but I heard her as if she had screamed it.

I simply nodded. Nodded and waited for her reaction.

"I..." she frowned deeply, turning from me as she shook her head. "I have no words right now, Edward. No words." I went to talk, but she spun back around, apparently having second thoughts about her earlier estimation of having 'no words'. "Our third, the one that is supposed to complete us is doing this to me? The one who, by the way, _you_ never mentioned. Not once. Not one little mention of the one person in the world that makes us whole! And you left him? Are you going to leave me too? Is that why he's doing this? Is he punishing me?" I went to answer, but instead got a shaking finger in my face from an incensed Bella, "Oh no, I haven't finished yet, Edward! This...this decade, what was it? Rebellion against your upbringing?" I just nodded, "And you killed the bad guys?" She sounded so unsure at the end. Needing me to say that yes, I had indeed killed no innocents. Simply those that had taken or ruined another life. But I couldn't.

"No. Not always," I admitted.

"Not always? Edward...I don't understand. Have you been lying to me all this time?" she gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Oh God, you told me you were a virgin!"

"I've only ever been with him, Bella, never...not _once_ have I been with a woman."

"YOU STILL HAD SEX, EDWARD! Any holes a goal, isn't that what they say? You've had your cherry popped, handed in your V-card, and told me that you've been waiting for me all your life." She sat down heavily on the bed. "You told me nothing of feeding on humans, only that you drink nothing but the blood of animals...barring some slip ups. And yet, you spent a _whole decade_ red-eyed, fucking a mate that you have chosen not to tell me about until this moment and drinking from humans. From innocents."

There was nothing I could say. She was completely right, my defence of my virginity was flimsy and her comment about innocents hit home hard. Bella was the kind of girl that we would have targeted, using our charms to tempt her away from her friends and family. We would have basked in taking her virtue, corrupted her purity and then fed on her bliss filled blood. I had not thought about it until that moment, that maybe we had been searching for Bella all along. The thoughts came unbidden and my thirst spiked, as did my arousal. I swallowed convulsively, and shifted to hide my erection, willing myself to think of anything but Jasper and I taking Bella in every conceivable way.

"I do not think that he is punishing you." Bella's head rose slowly to look at me. "It was only a matter of time before he found out about you, about us. It is my guess that he used Maria's gift to introduce himself to you."

Bella's face went hard and she ground out, "He's given me my first and only orgasms and all while he drank some poor woman's blood. _That's_ his introduction?"

I closed my eyes as images of Bella in the throes of her dream induced passion played behind my lids, the nights that I have sat and watched, not knowing what I should do and almost paralysed by the scent of her arousal and the sounds that she always made. I knew that my eyes were black when they reopened, I couldn't help that. And apparently I could not help what came next, either.

Bella glared at me from her position in front of the window. Her last words had sparked something within me, something that I had been shying away from. I had kept myself in such tight and stringent control over the last few decades that I had not even entertained the idea of touching Bella in such an intimate fashion while she is still human. Every fantasy, every dream and imagining of what her skin would feel like heated with desire. What it would be like to see it in her eyes, to feel and scent and _cause_ her need. To relieve it. It had almost broken me to leave Jasper, even with the knowledge that I had gained about the future. It was only with that and my learned control that I managed to get through. It was the only reason why Isabella Marie Swan had not been claimed and changed the first second I saw her.. The only reason why the Forks High biology class is still walking around, alive and for the most part happy.

She moved to storm out of the bedroom and at that exact moment in time, I was finding it nigh on impossible to hold onto that control.

And then I snapped.

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**E/N: Let me know what you think. ;D **


	7. Chapter 7

__**A/N: Here is it, better late than never, I guess. :D As always, beta'd by my Treacle, Mynxi. It may be worth reading the last bit of the chapter before, lol. What with me being useless at updating sooner. Anyway, I hope you enjoy...**

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_B~E~L~L~A_

"He's given me my first and only orgasms and all while he drank some poor woman's blood. _That's_ his introduction?"

There are times when I regret waking up. Some days just aren't for allowing you to relax or just be; they're for being wrapped up in a duvet and dozing in front of the TV. Really, after my first real sleep in weeks, I _should've_ been allowed at least a couple of hours before my world decided it best to just crash down all around me.

But no, that would be too easy.

Edward had fed from humans. Innocents. He had spent ten years with our third, ten years exploring his true nature. And then, for some reason he had yet to explain to me, he had left this Jasper Whitlock.

Introduction. That's what he had said. Standing there, looking perfect and gorgeous and so very sad. Introduction. Jasper's introduction of himself to me. I don't think I'd ever felt so angry, so confused. I had always thought that our third would be the one to balance us completely. Not give me nightmare induced insomnia and take me to the brink of insanity.

I stared at him; I tried to make sense of everything that he had just told me. I tried to calm down. But in the end, I just glared; I glared and tried to impart every single burning particle of rage that I was feeling into his forehead. And he just stood there with his eyes closed, the barely there crease that his immortal skin allowed was the only sign of expression on his beautiful face.

I stood and waited for Edward to speak, to move, to do _anything_. He had become so still that it sent shivers down my spine, and not in a negative, and some might say healthy, way. It was always the same whenever he did something that showed exactly what he was. Whatever it was in the human mind that was supposed to warn me away from vampires worked the complete opposite when it came to Edward, and to some extent it was the same with his family.

While becoming still as a statue may sound subtle, until you actually see a person do it, you can't understand just how unusual it is. That stillness, like a photograph or a paused image. A moment stolen and paused in time. Fear didn't leech into my feelings until he opened his eyes, the movement shocking after his stillness and his gaze fastened on to me.

Black. So black, dark and intense and boring into mine in a way that he had never done before. But I was so angry, so sick of everything, that I ignored the warning signs. I needed space, I needed time to think and calm down. To go over everything, to get it straight in my head and to let my anger out. So, I didn't waste another moment and moved to storm past him.

It didn't work out quite as I'd planned.

It all happened so fast that I simply registered that my momentum was stopped by cool hands and impossible strength. My world was redirected till I was pressed flat against the window, the glass hard and unyielding, yet feeling so much more fragile than the cold hard body pressing me against it with such strength that I barely had room to draw breath.

My hair was wrapped tightly in his hand, and Edward tugged at it, giving me no choice other than to allow my head to follow his lead. As soon as my throat was opened to him, his lips skimmed over my panicked pulse.

"How you tempt me, Bella," his words rumbled through me, his voice tainted by a growl that started low in his chest and ended with his chilled breath on my heated skin. I could _feel_ my skin prickle with bumps. "Your beauty and innocence..." I gasped, whether it was at his words or his tongue on my skin, I wasn't sure. Wet and cold, like just melted snowflakes, the sensation dripping down my spine. "You are a mixture of beguiling sexual temptation, love."

I think I struggled, or at least I tried to. I know that I was caught between trying to run and trying to get closer. I'd never experienced Edward like this. Ever. Despite what he was, he'd always been safe. There was no safety in this, there was only danger. Intoxicating and heady danger.

"Edward?" I whispered his name in question; his answer was his hands slipping between me and the window, roaming slowly and surely over my clothes.

"Watching you night after night as you were lost in your dreams. Witnessing you writhing and panting, moaning and gripping the sheets around you..." my eyes closed as his velvet voice trailed off and his hands slid beneath my shirt, the fabric giving no resistence as it simply parted, ripping to give his hand the freedom he desired. That I desired. Hands on skin, cold against heat. It stole my breath.

"Running your hands over your own heated skin. Your sex slick as you rhythmically moved your thighs, each of your needy movements making your arousal an aromatic sweetness that filled the air, overpowering my senses."

My nails scraped on the glass as my fingers tried to find purchase, as I tried to find something to hold onto, something to ground me. Edward's hand that was still above my clothes travelled down, slipping beneath my waistband and into the front my panties. I made a sound that was caught somewhere between a gasp and a whimper, his fingers stroked my flesh in a way I had never experienced before. Experiments with causing my own pleasure had never, ever, felt like this. The heat that his fingers kindled only grew with each swipe of his cool fingertips and each word that he uttered.

"You beckoned me...tempted me...sang out to me..._screamed_ out for me to sink into your tight, hot depths."

His fingers did as he words said, sliding inside me, a shock of cold that made my knees weak; made me cry out in both surprise and pleasure. I could barely form a coherent thought, my body working on its own as my hips moved in an attempt to gain more...just _more._

"Oh, how you weep for me, Bella, heated and slick and dripping, gripping me. I could take you right now, up against this window, and you would just cry out for more, would you not?"

"Y-yes," my voice came out almost strangled, throaty and barely a word at all.

I jumped slightly as the sound of denim ripping reached my ears and I wondered whether he was going to do just as he said. But all that happened was he managed to reach further inside me, his hand having more room since my jeans gave way to his intrusion. Edward then began to grind against me, I could feel him hard against my ass, and there was nothing else for me to do in that moment, but cling to every word that he said. And to move with him, against him. Still _more_.

"Jasper has never fought his nature," A growl, his voice, just above a growl. "He has always taken what he wanted...pleasure and blood his driving forces. He showed me the true nature of our kind, introduced me to the pleasures of the flesh. Our existence ran red with blood, and for a decade I knew nothing but unadulterated bliss." His mouth on my neck, his icy tongue, the pressure of his teeth. Closer...closer and closer. Edward's fingers were sliding in and out of me, his thumb a constant swirling pressure over my clit. Tingling pressure was building, up and up...couldn't be contained. "That is what he wants for you, to take you into his world...both of us, the three of us paving our way through history and the future."

I moaned, loud and breathy, all there was right then was Edward's words, his promises and ministrations. His fingers, _oh God_, his fingers.

"Blood, Bella. That is what drives us, the satisfaction, the pleasure...nothing can sate us more. He took me like this, that first night, tasted the whole of my blood drenched body. Had me _begging_ for him to fuck me...oh the things that I saw within his mind, what he wanted to do, what he wanted to show me. He fucked me so hard after he had watched my first kill, so eager to claim me even after he had found completion at his own hands while he watched me ravage and tear into my first human victim. My 'fall from grace' was what Jasper called it...would you like to fall from grace, Bella?"

I think I nodded, I know I tried to speak, but whether Edward understood me or not I didn't know. Nor did I care right at that moment. I clenched around his fingers with each honeyed word that poured from his lips, each sentence seemed to seep into my skin. Literary icicles that went through my entire being, a current that spread through my whole body, culminating in my clit. I was breathless with need, and so close to something that I had only ever felt in my dreams.

"Do you want us both to take you? Would you take us both inside you, moving within you, filling you to the point of insanity?"

And that was it. I exploded, or imploded, or simply dissolved. I screamed and whimpered and my whole body shook as I came hard around Edward's thrusting fingers. The world stopped for that moment, before it came back like a slap in the face.

Edward's mouth was hard on my neck, his lips tight over my skin, sucking over my pulse point, his fingers still buried inside me and his hips working slow circles at my back. I tried to catch my breath, tried to clear my mind enough to figure out what the fuck had just happened. Each and every single thing that Edward had just told me was branded into my brain and I wasn't quite sure what to make of my own reaction to it. He removed his fingers, cupping my sex instead and massaging it ever so slightly. I wondered whether he had finished, whether now would be when he would step away and regain his usual composure.

Edward, however, had more to say.

"Jasper taught me that blood isn't just about food, or just about sustenance or easing the burn of the thirst. The intimacy of the act, the closeness. You're tasting a person's life, their very essence. Taking it within you. And when you share that with someone, with your mate...the pleasure is truly out of this world."

He was sticking up for Jasper, trying to explain and excuse his actions. And I had just got off listening to him do it.

"I should wait for him, really," he said, though it didn't sound like he was talking to me, more like himself. As if he was trying to rein himself in, "I should wait for Jasper...but I can't. And I don't think you want me to wait."

_What? _

A thousand things ran through my head right then; what did he mean? Was he going to change me, claim me? This wasn't what we had agreed on! I wanted more time with my dad; this was supposed to happen before college, or even after. There had never been any kind of rush before. But he was right, I _did_ want it. I was so confused right then, did I really know what I wanted? My heart hammered in my chest, but this time out of fright, my anger long lost and worn out. I panicked.

But there was no need, not with Edward being ripped away from me. I fell to the floor, sliding down against the glass and gripping my ruined shirt together, tugging at my jeans and trying to make them fasten even when there was no way that was ever going to happen again. Not without some kind of clothes pin intervention.

I looked up through my hair. Edward was pinned to the floor, Emmett's knee between his shoulder blades and Alice gripping Edward's hands behind him. Edward's eyes were on me and me alone.

"Bella, go." My eyes snapped to Alice where she looked for all the world as if she were on some sort of mechanical bull, barely keeping herself upright as Edward struggled beneath her. It would've been funny in another situation. Not so much now though.

I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay. I wanted Jasper to come through the door and I wanted to be claimed. Rational thought was leaving quickly, the look in Edward's eye the driving force. I wanted everything that he had just spelled out for me. I wanted him, I wanted Jasper, I wanted _them_. I wanted to take on my future, there and then. I didn't want to wait. I started to move, but towards them. Towards Edward.

"Bella! Snap the fuck out of it and get out of the house. I can't calm Edward down if you don't," Alice again. When had she got so annoying? But she was making sense, somewhere in me knew that.

Emmett was the next to try and get through to me, "GO!"

"Bella!" Edward shouted, demanded, and growled. My name, over and over.

I was so torn.

Cool leather fell over my shoulders and I looked up to see Carlisle, his eyes full of concern and understanding. He helped me stand and wrapped the long coat around me.

"They're right, Bella, let Edward calm down," Carlisle advised and he made sense, right? Sense.

I started towards the door.

"NO!" a roar. Edward. I spun towards him, I saw Alice fly backwards, and Emmett pretty much dragged along like a toddler holding onto his parent's foot.

Then Carlisle was on him, Rose a blur and wind in my hair before she jumped into the fray. All it took was another screamed plea from Alice and I was out the door, my heavy footsteps speeding along the hallway and down the stairs. A cacophony of snarls, growls and destruction was the soundtrack of my escape.

I didn't think about my car keys till I had actually reached my truck, and then the panicked checking all of my pockets that revealed what I already knew. My keys were back in there. I stared back at the house, and it took me a full minute to realise that the truck door was already open. And just another second before I saw my keys already in the ignition.

Alice.

"Thank you," I whispered, all shaky and edged with hysterical laughter.

_Only me_, I thought, _only I could end up in this kind of situation._

Was I running from my boyfriend because he wanted to have sex with me?

"Fucks sake," I muttered and sped off down the drive, as fast as my hunk of a truck would take me. Which, let's face it, wasn't very fast at all.

"Couldn't I have just one day? One day that nothing happens?" I asked nobody in particular, my voice rising as anger once again became my driving force. "Just one day, especially after my first proper sleep _in forever!"_

The theme carried on throughout the drive back to my house, culminating in a prayer of thanks that my dad wasn't home when I got there. I didn't want to have to explain the new coat, let alone my ruined clothes. Front door slammed, stairs stomped on, and I was in my room. My room, that looked so innocent and safe with the neatly made single bed, plain purple comforter and the rocker that my mother used to sit with me in when I was a baby.

"Innocent and safe, my ass," I muttered, glaring at my rocking chair as if it had something to do with what was going on. Irrational and stupid, but that was what I did.

First thing first, I stripped out of my clothes and threw them down onto the rocking chair. I'd take them out with the rest of the trash, minimize the chance of my dad finding them. And then I stood in front of my full length mirror. I almost laughed at what I saw. Almost.

My bra was in tatters, snapped at the front and the lace of the cups torn in Edward's haste to reach my skin. It joined the other clothes. My panties weren't much better, the waistband was stretched and the lace torn to accommodate his hands and fingers.

_Fuck._

My sex clenched at the thought and angrily I tore my own panties off, trying to ignore how wet they were as I threw them onto the pile. Naked and breathing hard, I studied myself once more. The sight made me remember a saying I heard from my mom once or twice, '_Ridden hard and put away wet'_.

It seemed rather appropriate right then. My hair was a mess, tangled on one side, flattened and sticky with dried sweat against my face on the other. My bottom lip was swollen, my teeth marks indented in the soft flesh. I couldn't even remember biting it. My lips looked bruised, and I could only imagine what they would have been like had Edward and I kissed during the...what? It wasn't assault. I knew that I had I said 'no' at any time that Edward would have backed off. At least, I think he would have. Yes, yes, of course he would have. But that was the point, really, wasn't it? There was no way that I was going to say no. I started laughing, full on belly grabbing, somewhat hysterical laughter.

It started as a giggle when I saw the mess that Edward had made of my neck; love bites. They ranged in sizes and shades of red, from light to dark. Pink to purple. My laughter took on a whole new crazy lilt as I realised what I really looked like with the bruise like love bites and the damp hair.

I looked like I had been slapped round the head with a wet fish.

"Yeah, so damn sexy," I snorted, shaking my head and turning to look at my side.

Red marks where my clothes had caught on my skin before giving way to Edward's strength.

My laughter tapered off as his words came back to me. And now that I wasn't completely losing my mind to his touch, they seemed to do nothing but spell out a sinister future. Or, rather, a future that seemed wholly sinister to me. To _human_ me. But I wouldn't be human then, would I?

Embarrassment flooded me, fuelling the anger that never seemed to be far away today, and I screamed. I screamed and screamed and screamed. It was a harsh sound, born out of frustration and indignity; embarrassment and unfairness, that and confusion. The confusion was mainly at the fact that I now have a track record of climaxing over the thought of vampiric brutality and embracing their true nature. Not to mention future family members witnessing my fall. Again.

The only thing I cared about when I tugged a shirt out of my closet was that it was a turtle neck and that it covered everywhere that it needed to. My jeans were simply the first ones that I encountered.

I stood in the middle of my room and wondered what to do next.

I contemplated hiding from the world in my duvet on the sofa downstairs. I checked my phone; nothing. No messages, missed calls, or voice mails. Nothing to clue me into Edward's current state of mind, or inquiries as to mine.

So I threw it at the wall. Just threw it. Hard. Hard enough that it exploded into far too many bits to be put back together, clattering against my desk before falling to the floor.

"Huh," I said, staring at my hand in shock and then at the scrape my cell had made against the paint on the wall when it had hit. I really hadn't meant to do that. But it had felt good. Really, really good. Cathartic.

"A bit of therapeutic destruction?" A low voice enquired. It was smooth with the familiar tones that identified the speaker as a vampire. An unfamiliar vampire.

"Who..." I began to ask, momentarily shocked silent when I actually saw him, "You."

He lifted one brow in question at my tone, no doubt. His head cocked to the side in a wholly inhuman movement of curiosity, causing his blonde curls to become free from behind his ears, "Me?"

I nodded repeatedly, glaring at him and waving my hand in his direction. "You! Jasper Whitlock, dream invader extraordinaire"

He just watched me. And that just pissed me off more.

"What? Am I not sitting waiting for you? Pining for you? Isn't this working for you, Jasper? Not enough girls to drain in front of me? No way to manipulate your sick fantasies into my head?" His expression didn't change. I didn't care. I didn't care that he was standing there, gorgeous and blonde and red eyed. I was on a roll, "Were you hoping that I'd see you and throw myself at you? Beg you to take me? Claim me? _Change me_?"

I waited for an answer. Any answer.

"Answer me, damn it!" I shouted and stalked towards him, three steps and I was there, staring up into his face. I poked his chest. "You invaded my dreams-" _poke, "_You turned them into nightmares-" poke, "_YOU _were warped enough to think that you had every right to do whatever the hell you wanted to me!" I stared up at him as I made my accusations, my arms falling to my sides. My eyes pricked with angry tears, but I fought them back, keeping my composure by concentrating on my anger. Then I asked the only question that really mattered, "Why?"

He frowned, looking a little amused and that damn eyebrow still cocked. "Why not?"

"W...why not?" I asked. I almost laughed. I was that shocked by his flippant reply. More so by the fact that he truly seemed to mean it. "What do you mean, why not? Is nothing sacred to you? What the hell is wrong with you that you think that all of that...that..."

"That what, Isabella?" he asked, leaning down towards me. "Tell me."

I snorted, a decidedly unattractive sound, and pointedly turned from him to pick up my ruined clothes from the chair. "You know what. You were there."

He laughed. Laughed. I looked back at him, filled with disbelief and just good old fashioned hurt. He was closer, still a few feet away, but I still felt as though he was looming over me. He was almost as tall as Edward, though they shared the same body type. Yet, while Edward tried so hard to appear human, Jasper just...didn't. I felt uncomfortable, and he wasn't even looking at me. He was studying the clothes in my hands as if they held the answers to all the world's mysteries.

"What is it?" I asked, holding the clothes tight to my body and hoping that he hadn't seen the state they were in.

"He's all over them. All over you. You both are," he said, and I didn't have to ask who he was talking about. He finally looking at me again and I could see the pain in his eyes momentarily; disappearing so quickly that I had to wonder if I'd seen it at all.

My discomfort skyrocketed as he just continued to stare at me as if he could see a whole lot more of me than I was showing. And it wasn't like he was seeing me naked, it seemed like so much more than that, but I had no understanding of what it might be. He wasn't looking _at_ me, he was looking _into_ me. It was somewhat disconcerting. I moved back from him, just a couple more steps, and swung around to get out of there. I needed space, air, something between us, preferably the entire Cullen family. It wasn't that I was scared, it was just too much. Too intense, too different. But he was there, in front of me, blocking the exit. Seemingly having just appeared there, no air displaced to have warned me of his movement. He was behind me, and then he was not.

"I _was_ there, every...single...time," he said in a voice that made my mouth dry and gave me the need to convulsively swallow. _So we're back to that now, are we?_ "And I recall it being particularly enjoyable."

I had never seen him this close in my dreams, he had always been outside of the window and I had always awoken before he came to me. Still, I took a couple of paces back and simply ignored his comment, giving myself the illusion of control, and studied him.

Where Edward's control was always an almost palpable companion to him, Jasper's seemed to be relaxed and innate. While his eyes were the most startling and obvious difference between him and Edward it was the aura of him that was most noticeable to me. His power oozed from him, his control not a fight but simply his state of being. He seemed comfortable, happy with himself and what he was. There was no pretence with him, no trying to pass as human. He just was.

Also, I was relieved to note, he wasn't like James had been. There was no feeling of menace from him, though I was absolutely sure that he was more than capable of scaring the piss out of anyone. Vampires included. That would've been an interesting gift for any vampire to have, really, considering their total lack of ability to urinate. I gave myself a mental smack round the head. Here I was mentally rambling on and there he was, taking the stride needed to truly loom over me and twist my words, my memories, making excuses for...no. No, he wasn't making excuses. He was telling it like it was. That's what Edward had said, basically. I really didn't know what to do with that, but it was strangely comforting.

Still, I wasn't about to just sit back and tell him that it was okay. Because it really, _really_ wasn't and he needed to learn that I'm not a toy.

"From _my_ perspective, it was horrifying. And, Mr Whitlock, I don't recall inviting you into my dreams, nor do I thank you for the assumed right you seem to be under the belief you have." My voice was strong, but I knew that what I said was only partly true. Even with the screams and the blood, and the reality when it had been returned to me once the dream had finished, I knew that it wasn't wholly abhorrent to me. And what really scared me the most was what if that was how I would feel once changed? The Cullen's admirable fight against their nature was just that; a fight. What if I couldn't win? Did I want to?

"Jeez, I need to see my normal friends. I should really call Jacob back," I said to myself, not really meaning for it to be part of the conversation.

Like Edward had made me realise, that that was reality for Jasper. Simple as. It was reality for all of them, even those they chose to deny it.

Jasper smirked, the action making my stomach flip and butterflies take up residence. "Now, now, Isabella. I know you don't believe that. And stay away from Jacob. As for my need for an invitation...that you allowed us in at all was all of the invitation that I needed," he informed me.

I ignored the smooth nature of his voice and his warning about Jake, refusing to acknowledge the very slight hint of a southern accent that coloured his voice and made it warmer, or the fact that he too seemed to be under the impression that Jake would try and steal me away. I also tried not to let it show how surprised I was that he knew about my shield, or how it put me off kilter that he held such knowledge.

I steeled myself, long since used to using my anger to keep my head clear when facing a vampire's natural dazzling nature. Even why they didn't mean to, it was far too easy for their natural prey to just smile like a loon and agree to or with anything. My glare hardened and his smirk just got bigger, his eyes alight with amusement as he breathed in deeply. "Interesting..."

"What?" I snapped, annoyed at him. Annoyance that he changed the subject, for being so annoyingly mystifying, for invading my dreams, and for just being here. For taking so long to come. And to make matters worse, he trailed off as if to just leave it at that and transferred his attention from me to the adjacent wall. "What is interesting?" I pressed again.

"Tell him that you're going out, I don't care where. I'll be waiting outside."

And then he was gone. And I was just standing there, leaning against the wall, "What the-"

"Bells, you up there, kiddo?"

Charlie. Fuck. I stood up straight, ran my fingers through my hair quickly and took a deep breath before I answered, "Yeah, dad...I'll be down in a second."

I didn't really hear if he replied or not, I just jerked my brush through my hair and made it as presentable as I could without being able to put it up. I wasn't really in the mood to chance my dad seeing any of the teenage vampire induced marks on my neck, even if I was wearing a turtle neck. I threw my brush onto my nightstand as I walked swiftly out of my bedroom.

_Tell him that I'm going out, and then meet Jasper outside. Sounds like a plan._

_Wait...what?_

I shook my head to clear it, almost tripping on the stairs in the process, and muttering to myself, "Who the hell does he think he is, giving me orders?" I ground out, gripping the banister firmly and walking down slower. "He can wait, that's what he can do."

"Who can?" dad asked from the bottom of the stairs, looking at me strangely.

"Oh...no one, nothing. Don't listen to me, dad," I laughed, sounding completely fake and smiling nervously at my dad's completely disbelieving expression. "I was just talking to myself, ignore me."

Charlie studied me, and I wondered whether he was going to interrogate me or something. Instead, he sniffed thoughtfully; in that way that only a cop seem to know how to do. Like they all watch the same cop shows or something.

"Riiiiight," he said, drawing the word out. I kept up my smile, knowing I was beginning to look like I belonged in one of those oh so snug and special white jackets, even as he continued, "Billy called me before I left the station, he's invited us round for dinner tonight. I said I'd see if you had any plans or not, actually, I figured you wouldn't ev-"

"Perfect!" I called out, interrupting him. "Sounds perfect. I haven't seen Billy in a while and I can quiz Jake about where the hell he's been lately. No one has mono for this long, you know?" I was rambling, but I just couldn't stop. I grabbed my jacket, as well as my dad's arm and steered us towards the front door.

My mouth still working a mile a minute, "We should go now; I can help cook or something." I looked about obsessively once we were outside, dragging my dad towards his car. "In fact, I should just cook...unless they've already ordered the pizza. Oh, did you two get a good catch? I wonder if he has any of Harry's fish fry, I could work with that."

"Bells."

"Do you have your keys? I figure that we should just take the cruiser, give my truck a rest."

"Bella!"

My smile was saccharine sweet and as chocked full of innocence as I could possibly make it as I looked up at my father. "Yes, dad?"

"Can I put my gun away?" he asked. His moustache quirked in amusement.

I blushed. "Sure." I flapped. "Of course, don't need to ask me." I rolled my eyes and went to lean against the car door and going for the nonchalant look.

"I'll be right back," he said, backing away towards the house. I waved him off and scanned the tree line and road. He was only gone for a minute, but it felt like forever, my foot was going ten to the dozen, tapping away as I waited for him to come back.

I wondered what Jasper Whitlock did to those that disobeyed him. Not that he had any power over me, not like that at least. I thought back to his eyes and I just...gah. And then my mind slipped right into what it might be like with him _and_ Edward looking at me like that. Both their eyes on my, their hands...mouths...lips...teeth. My heart leapt into my throat when my dad opened the driver side door. I spun around, slamming my knee into the car, the pain tampering down the shock and actually seeing that it was just my dad and not my dream invading mate come to teach me a lesson. Or spank me.

_Where the _hell_ did that come from?_

"You gonna get in, or are you planning on car surfing?" I looked at my dad like he'd gone insane. Because, really, who wouldn't when asked a question like that. And what else could I do but wait for his explanation? "You know, car going down the road, standing with one foot on the door and one in the car. Surfing. In the car. Car surfing."

_Yeah, I got nothing. _

"You youngun's have no imagination," he complained as he got into the car.

I followed his example and just snorted at him. "You're the Chief of Police, dad, you're not supposed to encourage things like that."

"Surprisingly enough, kiddo, I was your age once and just as stupid as the rest of you."

"Hey, I'm not stupid, thank you very much. What happened to 'you were born middle aged, Bella'? And the fact that I had no idea what car surfing was, should be in my favour," I complained, even as I scanned the roadside for any sign of Jasper.

There he was, standing between the houses, reappearing at each one that we passed. He did not look happy. At all. I probably should have tried to look contrite. Instead I smiled sweetly at him every time he looked at me. Really, I was doing exactly what he told me to do. I was going out, I told my dad that I was going out and Jasper is outside. That fills all the criteria for the cheeky fucking orders he gave me before disappearing.

"No, you're right. You're definitely the exception to the rule, Bella. Well," he paused, glancing away from the road for a second to look at me. "Aside from running back to your mom's because of boyfriend trouble."

I winced, knowing that my impromptu trip to Phoenix was still a sore point with my dad. Especially what I'd had to say to him to get him to let me leave. Not that he knew the real reason for my flight that night, nor did he know what had really happened to land me in hospital. And he never would, if everything went as we had planned.

"I think I'm allowed one teenagesque blip on my prematurely middle aged radar," I stated. My gaze flashed from my dad's profile to the road nervously. "And...I know I've said it before, but I really am sorry for what I said to you that night, dad. I didn't mean it; I just had to get you to let me go."

"I know, Bells, I know. Don't worry," he answered me quickly. I nodded, smiling as I looked back out the window, the only thing I could see were the tall trees on either side of the road as we passed the La Push boarder, only turning back when dad spoke again, "I didn't believe you anyway, who would want to leave this little piece of paradise," he joked as it began to rain in earnest.

I laughed, "Oh yeah, who needs the sun, right?"

He grinned, laughing, "Right."

I loved my dad.

We pulled up outside the Black's house, the world outside distorted by the heavy rain clinging to the car window as it hammered against it. I relaxed for the first time since waking up. This place seemed so normal, unchanged. No supernatural anything, just old family friends and boys that I used to make mud pies with. It was safe and familiar and somewhere that I could relax for the rest of the evening, a safe haven in the preternatural shit storm that had become my life recently. A night with my human family. Just what I needed. And, thanks to my future seeing sister, I didn't need to worry about letting Edward or anyone else know where I'd gone for the evening. Considering what had happened, I knew they would understand my need for some normalcy and space.

"You coming, Bells?" My dad asked, and I nodded at him, smiling.

The opening of doors and sprinting to the house was a time honoured tradition in Forks. One that both me and my dad unequivocally threw ourselves into as we ran towards the Black's front door; my dad with his collar up and one hand securely holding my arm to keep me upright and me with my hood pulled tight over my head. We didn't knock, we never had. Family.

The Black house was a mismatch of various extensions all built on and around the original small, red structure. I'd always loved it, the way it had grown as the family had. With each visit here over the years, something else had been added on. It was perfect for Billy, Jake, and the girls.

"Bella, Charlie," Billy greeted us with a smile and open arms. I took my jacket off and hung it up before hugging him tight. "We were getting worried when the rain started."

"Hey, lifelong Forks resident here, old man. I can drive in a little rain," my dad answered with good humour while using a towel someone handed him to dry his hair.

I just laughed, shaking my head at the two of them and walking further into the small house, heading straight for the kitchen.

"Bella, sit yourself down, everything is sorted," Billy shouted to me as he came through, picking up a beer and opening it before handing it to my dad.

"Yeah...I wasn't...okay," I stuttered guiltily as I walked beside Billy and sat down with my dad.

"You were checking for takeout or frozen pizza," Billy laughed out.

"It wouldn't be the first time," I answered, laughing with him. "Is...um, is Jake around?"

Billy's smile was a little too happy that I'd asked about Jake. "He'll be here any second now."

"Oh, good," I answered, grinning. I was looking forward to seeing him. Even if he was weird the last time we spoke. Well, that and I wanted an explanation for that too. What the hell is it with the men around me these days? I took a breath to ask another question when I saw my dad's head loll out of the corner of my eye.

Billy interrupted me checking on him fully, "Bella, could you get the door for me? I think I heard someone pull up outside."

"Sure," I answered, glancing back at my dad as I stood. He seemed fine, frowning at something in front of him. I kicked myself for seeing weirdness wherever I looked and headed to the door. My hand was on the doorknob when I heard the thump. There was a very distinctive sound to a body hitting the floor. Even if the body in question had simply slid off the couch, "Dad!" I ran towards him, the door forgotten, and fell to my knees beside him as I reached to check his pulse with shaking fingers, my voice shaking, "Daddy? Billy, call 911."

He didn't move.

I stared at him. "Billy, I don't have my cell on me, call 911, please?" I asked. Still nothing. "Fine!" I didn't know what the hell was up with him, but I wasn't going to waste time finding out. The Black's phone was always set in a cradle on the wall in the short hallway, close to the door and I was kicking myself for breaking my damn cell phone as I ran towards it.

I had the phone in my hand when it was snatched from me. "What the hell are you doing?"

"He's fine, Bella. No need to overreact," the phone snatcher said, his tone of voice suggesting that I was missing the funny. I glared at Jake. _Up_ at Jake. Up and up and up.

_Have I shrunk?_

"My dad just collapsed, now is not the time to prove to me just how much of an asshole you've become in the last few weeks." I went to snatch the phone, without success. The newly bulked up and supersized Jake just held it up at shoulder height. His shoulder height.

"Is everything ready, dad?" he asked without taking his eyes from me.

Safe. This place was supposed to be safe.

"Jacob, give me the phone," I demanded, my voice trembling.

"Did you imprint, son?" Billy asked from behind me, ignoring the fact that his lifelong best friend was being placed back on the couch by some other huge guy, still unconscious.

"No," Jake answered his father, not taking his eyes from me as he replaced the phone on its cradle.

I may not have the best radar for danger, or even the best sense of self-preservation. But even I have a hinky meter that works just as well as anyone else's, and it was flashing like Bruce Wayne's Batman line. I backed up, going back to my dad. He'd have his cell on him; he always had it on him. Frustration and fear exploded in my gut when my way was blocked by another of my old friends, just as newly grown as Jacob. And apparently also newly fitted with a Type A Freaky Asshole personality. I tried to get around Embry, but he wouldn't let me, his huge arm barring the way.

"This is ridiculous, I need to make sure my dad's okay. Billy, _please_?" I begged him, so damn confused and scared that I was close to tears.

He ignored me, still apparently in mid conversation with Jake. "Everything is ready for the ritual, son, you'll have her, you have my promise."

_I've seen my fair share of horror movies...nothing good _ever _comes from the word ritual._

I looked around for an escape, even if I could have brought myself to leave my dad there. The whole thing was far too surreal. Yes, I was mated to two vampires, but these were people I had grown up with. People that I considered family. People I trusted.

"You don't need to call the authorities, Bella. You're safe here, so is Charlie," Jake said, making me jump. I hadn't even noticed him walking towards me.

I ignored Jake, and tried to get to dad again. With little success. I wasn't taking this, I'd had a bad enough damn day as it was. I didn't need any more crazy. Or rituals. I definitely didn't need a fucking ritual. But I was trapped. I was trapped in the midst of family and friends, trusted people that had apparently all taken the crazy pill since the last time I'd been around. I felt so small, surrounded by these boys turned men. And I was beyond terrified.

I turned to Billy, the only one that wasn't a standing ode to some bronze God of Steroids.

He smiled at me, all fatherly love and happiness. It was creepy, considering the circumstances.

"It is time to begin," he intoned and the others closed in on me.

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**E/N: Just remember that in this fic, the wolves are not the usual fare. Thank you, and review...I hope you enjoyed it, and questions are more than welcome. **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Usual disclaimer...I don't own Twilight, just play with it. This chapter is short, shorter than usual anyway. BUT, the next one will be posted in a couple of days *nods* My beta goddess, Mynxi, said that this chapter was "pretty freaky". I'ma take that as a good thing, LOL. Anyway...enjoy! **

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_B~E~L~L~A_

My previous plans of enjoying a _normal_ night, with _normal_ people, _normal_ family, and doing _normal_ things had all been scrunched up and thrown down the crapper. My thoughts were panicked and jumbled, running through my mind, and tripping up over each other.

What the fuck was going on? Where was I being taken? Was my dad alright? Since when had the Rez gone insane? Why the hell couldn't I just have at least the semblance of control over even just a small part of my life? When was I going to catch a break?

_If I get out of this, I'm moving to Disneyland. Nothing bad ever happens in Disneyland._

Jacob was holding me in front of him, his arms tight around mine and my torso, leaving only my legs free. A fat lot of good that did me, no amount of flailing kicks, no matter how hard or how many times my heels connected with his shins and knees mattered; it seemed to have no effect on Jacob. I tried to twist and turn, tried to kick him right in his baby maker, but I couldn't get the leverage or into the right position. His pace remained steady, no breaks in his stride, hell he didn't even tell me to stop as he carried me through the trees.

We were going up...somewhere. I didn't recognise where we were, or where we were going. All I saw were trees, lots and lots of trees. I'd never been here, and there was no discernible path to be followed. Of course, the rain didn't help any, my night vision was distorted further by the down pour. The forest was dark and I had no light to see by, not that Jake seemed to have the same concerns. I was drenched from the rain and freezing cold where Jacob's body didn't have direct contact with mine. But his body heat, his unusual and downright _wrong_ heat, was almost burning into my back.

"Jacob, put me down! Stop...please, just take me back. I...I have to check on my dad! People will miss me, you know? What the fuck have you been smoking? _Just tell me what the hell is going on!_"

My questions were met with nothing but shushing, and what I assume to him were supposed to be soothing, noises, and laments. I could barely hear them against the rustling of the wind and rain as it fell against the canopy of trees, dripping from the leaves and branches onto my partially frozen skin. Even if I could've heard what he was saying, it wouldn't have made any difference to me, not unless it was something along the lines of 'don't worry, Bella, I'm taking you back home and your dad is fine, this was all a joke'.

Somehow, I didn't think that that was going to happen.

Night was readily falling as we broke through the tree line, the wind picked up instantly, battering my skin and forcing my drenched clothing to become even tighter. The blustery air was unforgiving, chaffing my skin and flicking my wet hair into my face.

But, even after everything, I realised that my panic really hadn't gotten started yet. Not until I saw where we were. The cliffs. He'd brought me to the damn cliffs.

Jacob released me, my feet dropping unceremoniously to the ground, the wet denim of my jeans tight against my knees as I fought for purchase on the soggy leaves and mud as I scrambled away from him.

_Escape._

A few skids and slips later I was off and running away from Jacob, away from his craziness and the cliffs and hopefully towards some sort of hiding place. Somewhere safe that I could wait until Edward came for him. Depending, of course, of whether or not he had recovered from his earlier lapse.

Alice would see. Alice would see and she would come, they would _all_ come. And Jasper, Jasper would be there too, and it would all be okay; just as long as I could get away and stay away.

However, the theme of my life lately seemed to be that things just weren't going to go my way. Apparently fate really wanted me to dive head first into insanity because it had just thrown a _huge_ curve ball into my path.

Literally.

Well, as long as the literal version of a curve ball was a freakishly massive black wolf that was currently skulking towards me.

_Back up, back up. RUN!_

I turned with a scream and ran blindly in the opposite direction, parallel to the cliff tops, the mud providing little traction. I grabbed onto anything to keep me upright, trees, branches, roots. Still, I ran straight into the path of another wolf.

_Isn't it supposed to be cats that mean bad luck if you cross their path?_

This one was silver and just as huge as the black one. And just as interested in me. I looked behind me as I backed up, my movement's jerky. The black wolf was still there, a little closer, and still watching me. They weren't natural; no wolf grew to the size of horses.

Two more joined in the fun, one chocolate and one grey, hemming me in and flanking Jacob. A very, if you ask me, unconcerned looking Jacob just standing there and not bothered that we were surrounded by giant freaking wolves.

But that was just it, wasn't it? _He_ wasn't surrounded, _I_ was. I knew enough of the Quileute legends that they 'came' from wolves, but this was taking it to the extreme. The only path left open to me was one that took me into thin air and ended with a cold splash and likely a broken back.

It was then that Billy Black appeared, looking pompous, regal and not just a little insane, as he and his wheelchair were carried by two more of the huge Quileute men, and set down next to his son .

"Isabella Maria Swan, you are the Chosen of my son, Jacob Ephraim Black; pack Alpha and destined Chief of the Quileute Nation," Billy intoned, his arms up and stretched wide as he announced what I'm sure he thought was awesome news.

Surprisingly enough, I didn't agree with him.

"This night will bear witness to your joining and acceptance of your destiny. You will be cleansed of past misconceptions and transgressions and inducted into our tribe as our Alpha's Chosen. The Spirits will bless your union, and the heir will be conceived as thanks for the gift of your innocence and heart to my son."

_He said whaaaat?_

I hadn't registered that I was retreating until the heel of my shoe met with nothing and panic erupted in my chest as I jumped forward and away from the edge of the cliff. A glance down and behind me confirmed what I feared; there was nowhere else left to run.

I turned my attention back to the others. Billy was watching me with interest; Jacob was leering at me with a huge smile on his face. But it wasn't the usual, good ole boy smile that he was sporting. Oh no, it was smug and vicious and not at all inviting.

"There will be no joining or acceptance or anything of the sort, Billy. Just let me go!" I shouted out, hoping that the man that had been like a second father to me all my life would come back to the man I had always known. My voice sounded pale compared to the power that had infused Billy's, my fear strangled my plea.

"First you must be cleansed, Isabella. The ocean calls for your Spirit and you shall be cleansed and reborn ready to conceive our Alpha's heir this night!" Billy carried on with his crazy spiel as if I'd said nothing.

The meaning of his words hit me and I froze, standing stock still as I teetered on the edge. The ocean calls for my spirit? I looked behind me at said ocean, I looked at its tumultuous depths and grey rolling surface, and my mind stopped racing and stuttered to a stop on an idea that I really, _really_ hoped I'd gotten terribly wrong. Surely...surely he couldn't mean what I thought he meant? Right?!

"You...you can't mean...I'm _not_ jumping off this damn cliff, Billy. It's a freaking storm out here, if the fall doesn't kill me, then the water would," I sputtered out, my arm making flailing motions towards the sea as I carried on, "Not to mention that I'm already mated, Billy. I have my Two, there _is_ _no more 'me'_ to go around to anyone." I blew water from my top lip and scraped my hand across my face in an, albeit futile, attempt to get the deluge of rain out of my eyes. I let my eyes plead with Billy as I went on, "I don't want you to get hurt, Billy, none of you. Or...or...the...er...wolves that you have...you know," I glanced from side to side, "here," I finished lamely. Right then, I wouldn't have stopped anyone from causing a bloodbath to get me out of there and my dad to safety.

"It is the will of the Spirits, Isabella. It is within their control, and their control only, whether you live or die this evening. Your choices have brought this upon yourself, Isabella. You have consorted with the unclean, the undead, and we are here to bring you back from the brink," he paused, his jovially zealous expression sobering for a moment. "Your death would be a blessing, also, Isabella. There is no life as a Cold One."

And there we have it, ladies and gentlemen; the tribe's superstitions and prejudice against the Cullen's are still alive and well. Of course, the Cullen's _are_ vampires, or Cold Ones as Billy just called them. But Billy doesn't know that they're vampires, right? Because that would mean...

I glanced frenetically from side to side, stray strands of my sodden hair flicking back and forth over my rain drenched face. The Legends. The wolves. The wolves?

"Regardless of your...theories, Billy, it still doesn't mean that I will be jumping from this cliff." It was easy to make my voice as strong as my words, and also to still keep some semblance of diplomacy in there. Because there was no way in hell that I was jumping from the fucking cliff, and there was no way that I wanted to make this any worse than it already was by pissing anyone off. No matter what anyone, or anything, might believe.

"I never said that the cleansing had to be voluntary, Isabella," Billy said, amusement clear in his tone and features.

The two guys that had carried Billy up here to the cliffs moved to stand on either side of Jacob. I was busy hoping that one of my mates, either of them would do, would turn up and save me. I'd take them swinging through the trees on impossible vines, forgive them both of anything, at this point.

That, or an umbrella.

An umbrella with a really sharp, preferably silver, sword like tip on the end of it.

I was shivering, the heavy downpour having soaked me to the skin, my clothes wet and heavy and freezing cold. But my shivers were nothing compared to what the other guys were doing right at that moment. The steam coming off them, off them and Jacob, told me that they were all sporting the Flu-happy temperatures. But it was no fever that was causing the tremors in these guys, the two of them shaking so hard that they were beginning to blur, while Jacob stood there just as stoic as he'd been the whole time.

The blur become more, it became a distortion, and just before it seemed as though the men couldn't control anything anymore...they just exploded. They exploded and my questions about the wolves were answered.

I didn't get much time to analyse or think about what I had just witnessed, there was no 'Eureka' moment or any light bulb that went off in my head. Nope, because right then Jacob started forward, and I was more worried about how fast he was moving towards me than that the boys I'd played with every summer I visited had just turned into freaking werewolves!

There was less than half a step of space between me, thin air, and a watery death. Wolves covered every other angle of escape, and I had no doubt that even if I had somehow managed to slip through, that my escape would have been short at best.

I tried to get my breathing under control and centred my attention on Jacob, my neck craned back and eyelids flickering against the onslaught of the rain. He stopped inches from me and just looked down, his eyes so dark that in the evenings dark cast I couldn't see the brown that had used to be so alight with friendship.

"Don't...please, Jacob. _Don't_!" I pleaded, hoping that there was still the little boy that I had made mud pies with somewhere in there.

A howl sounded, starting from the wolf to my right and picked up, one by one, by the others. It was an eerie sound, spine chilling, and its lament stole my attention from Jacob. I didn't think it was possible, but the rain seemed to become even heavier, as if it were responding to the wolves call. The hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention, prickling my spine with an awareness that I never wanted to feel again. This was it, there was no help coming, no knight in shining armour on a white horse to come and rip everyone's throat out and take me to safety.

Reality finally got the better of me and I sobbed, my shoulders hunching in on themselves as I turned my head back to Jacob.

I screamed.

His eyes...his eyes were yellow. Wolf. Wolf eyes. Seeing them in his human face was far more terrifying than anything else. The shock kicked the age old instinct of fight or flight right back in to me and up a gear and I panicked. I jumped back out of pure reflex, realising too late my mistake.

And then there was only air.

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**E/N So there you have it, review if you wanna. I always love hearing what you think. Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N Okay, here's the next chapter. A little longer than the previous one. Mynxi once again worked her magic, thank you, Treacle! **

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_P~E~T~E~R_

The Cullen's make my skin crawl, they just ain't natural. Feedin' off animals, callin' themselves vegetarians, thinkin' themselves above us 'cause they get to play human. Fuckin' Atypicals, wantin' to Lord it up over everyone else. Thing is, somethin' that they need to see through they're piss ass yellow eyes, is that we don't give a shit. We don't wanna change. We're just as happy as pigs in shit bein' what we are, we revel in it. Now, don't be gettin' me wrong, I don't just look at the humans like cattle, I wouldn't fuck a cow, you know? They have they're uses, and not just as food. Neither me, nor my women, turn down a warm body to take our lustful fill of before we let the bloodlust run free. But we don't want to be a part of them; it's real simple; we're _apart_ from them. It's all about the food chain, the power, and we vampires sit nice and pretty right on the top link.

In this situation, we don't just have the Cullen's to worry about. Oh no, we have to put up with the mutated dog stink that saturates this area. It's a fuckin' joke. But I ain't gonna argue for bringin' Alec in, and there ain't no other way to skip Little Miss Priss' visions than to use the treaty with the shape shifters to our advantage and let their presence cloak us. Works for us, as long as they stay away.

Which they do, mostly. At least one of them is usually skulkin' around in the shadows, tryin' to be threatenin', as if we couldn't just rip 'em apart if we wanted to. Treaty, my ass. They seem to conveniently forget that they came to us. Ephraim Black had his head screwed on right; he knew the way shit worked. Yeah, they might be built to kill us, but it's their numbers that let them down. Ironic really that it's the humans that made that happen, settlin' here and cuttin' down their numbers and therefore bloodlines, forcin' them into reservations and tribal legends lost.

Sittin' outside of the small cabin we were usin' as Base, I smirk to myself as I scent one of the regulars around the tree line. He's one of the young ones, always comin' in a little bit closer than the others, and it ain't bravado or cockiness either. The pup is _curious_. And that's always somethin' that I can work with.

The first time he'd come close enough for us to see him was just hours after we got here. Jasper sensed him and clued me into his possible usefulness. For my part, I sat outside, seemingly nonchalant until I spoke out that if he let the furry go, we could have a nice little chat. Couldn't help but throw in "I won't bite" in there too. We were likely the first real vamps that he'd seen, these fuckers have been spoilt by the pacifist Cullen clan.

He looked just like the others, only I could tell that he still had some maturin' to do. The activation of the gene might make them bulk up, but it don't mean that a fifteen year old will suddenly think and act like the twenty-five year old he looked like now. He'd crept over, fastenin' up his poor excuse for jeans as he came closer. He even had a shy smile on his face. And I do so love naivety, that mixed with curiosity and you've got a great foundation for gatherin' intel. The pup hadn't been initiated into the pack long and had enough sense and questions not to buy into their bullshit, and he'd watched his sister broken by one of them and then treated like the pack whore by the others. Respect ain't somethin' that he felt for his people, and it certainly ain't somethin' that he'd learned from them. Also somethin' I could use. But best of all? The pup was underestimated by the others, and the pup could keep his mind fixed on whatever the fuck normal teenagers think about, titties and comic books or whatever. He could keep shit quiet that needed to be kept quiet.

And today, it seemed, that link would prove to be most useful.

I knew somethin' had happened when Seth came runnin' outta the woods without botherin' to untether his pants from his ankle, let alone put them on. He was drippin' wet from the rain, his skin actin' like he was his own in built sauna, steam risin' every which way. Not that I was complainin', but I shouldn't be checkin' out a fifteen year old's dick, you know?

"You have to get Bella, you've got to get her now!" he rushed out, his eyes wide and serious. I hated to admit it, but it was difficult not to like this kid. He genuinely cared for Bella and he genuinely disagreed with the way the tribes Chief had lead his people in recent years. It was...endearin'. Not somethin' I'd feel often, but I was actually thinkin' of takin' the pup with us when we finally ditch this place. With the right trainin', he'd be more than useful.

The way I figure it, is for Billy to be so far away from the sensible Chief his father had been, that he'd been dropped on his head as a baby. Repeatedly.

"She's covered," I answer him, standin' back far enough that I don't need to look _up_ at him. 'Cause that shits just wrong. He's fifteen for fucks sake. "Spill."

"Thank fuck," he breathed out, runnin' both hands through his hair, still all kinds of agitated. That was the first time I'd heard him cuss worth a damn. "They're planning on performing some sorta ritual to mate Bella to Alpha...um, Jacob, I mean."

Now that deserved at least a raised eyebrow, which he got. I stood up straighter too. A forced matin'? And the shapeshifter's think that _we're_ the fucked up ones. Crazy fuckers.

"Well that ain't gonna be happenin', I can tell you that. The Boss is with her as we speak, there ain't no one safer for her." I snorted, thinkin' of what Jasper had witnessed between Bella and Edward. Boss man sure has a voyeuristic streak. Kinda serendipitous that the first time he saw Bella was when she was experiencin' her own fall from grace, albeit incomplete. But then, Jasper has plans for that too.

"They've invited Bella and Charlie to dinner at Chief Black's, Charlie won't say no. They've been friends forever, and he has no clue about the shit that goes down on the Res."

I sniffed, lookin' off to the side in contemplation. This was good information; this was the shit that we needed to know. Still, it ain't like Jasper would just let Bella run off to the Res.

I shake my head, lookin' back at the pup, "Charlie can accept all he wants to, but Bella won't. She's pissed at Jacob, right? Why would she say yes?"

"Bella's pissed at Al-Jake, but she won't pass up a chance to talk to him..." He trailed off as my cell beeped in my pocket and my attention switched from the pup to my phone.

_**She ran. Heading towards La Push with her dad. ~ JW**_

_**Stop her. Res is a trap ~ PW**_

_**Fuck! She's already there. Get her NOW. I'm on my way. ~ JW**_

"Change of plans, she's already there." I get a flash of the pup's palin' face as I turn to the cabin, barkin' out orders, "Char, Maria, we're goin' on a field trip."

"She's there? You said she wouldn't go!" Pup followed me as I sprinted into the trees, knowin' my women would follow.

"Where would they take her?" I asked, ignorin' his question. Goin' over shit I got wrong was not what we needed right then.

"She'll need to be...cleansed," he spat out the word, "They'll take her to the cliffs."

I pause to stare at him for one second before changin' direction slightly to take us towards the beach. "When you say 'cleansed'?"

"By air and water...some bullshit about the elements cleansing her soul. They call her tainted," he spat out, "And because of that they'll make her jump from the cliff," the Pup's voice was mostly growl by the end of that. I knew I had to get what I needed out of him first before he lost the fight to stay in his human form.

"You keep callin' Jacob by his name and not his title," I say, changin' the subject. There was somethin' I needed to clarify. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

"I couldn't stay with them any longer, I'm sorry if that messes with me letting you know what's going on, but what they were planning," he shakes his head, which looks kinda insane while his whole body is shakin', fightin' off the phase.

"They really can't hear you now, right?" I ask.

"No," he was all snarls now.

"Good, let go and phase, I'll be usin' you and the rain to mask our scents. I need to scope out what we're up against first."

I'd barely finished talkin' when I heard the distinctive shreddin' rip of the phase, and I had a sandy coloured wolf runnin' next to me. Char and Maria kept behind us.

We went high, we had to. It was the only way to see the situation. Sittin' on a higher outcrop, we stayed silent and bathed in the pup's scent as we looked down on the scene. Neither the weather, nor the darkness was a problem with our eyesight and we could see everythin'. One pack of wolves, one Chief and one thoroughly wet bedraggled human female.

We wouldn't be gettin' her from the cliff. We needed another plan.

"Pup, you in control enough to phase back?" I asked him, I needed more information.

My answer was him crouched next to me, naked as the day he was born.

"Tell me more about this shit," I asked, keepin' my voice real low and wavin' my hand towards the scene below. Gotta admit, seen as I was doin' a lot of that lately, that the little lady was holdin' her own down there despite how scared shitless she must be. But then, the good Lord wouldn't have mated her with the Boss if she didn't have some fire and good sense.

"They'll make her jump and have someone waiting down there to collect her. And, if she survives, she'll be taken onto the beach and basically drugged. Then Billy will perform the bonding ritual."

I thought for a second, runnin' over the strategies in my mind. One of us needed to be in the water play grab 'n' go with Bella. I needed to call Jasper, there ain't no way we need an enraged mate bustin' in here and makin' this into somethin' it didn't need to be. I ain't afraid of the wolves, but en masse they cause problems. It's what they're built for after all. But I also knew that keepin' him outta this would be impossible, I sure as all hell knew how I would feel if this were Maria or Char.

"Speak," was the growled command as soon as the call connected.

"They've got plans on your lady, we're ready to grab her. Where are you?"

"Five minutes away from the Res, what's your position?"

"Cliffs. Up high. Come in from downwind, Char and Maria will be here. I'll have your little lady. Cause havoc and follow to the border."

"Understood."

Endin' the call, I turned to the others. "Pup, I need you down the coast with blankets. The little lady looks all kind of frozen, we'll be needin' your body heat to help her out, so meet us ASAP." He nodded and ran off into the night. He's got a good future in him, that one. Obedience ain't always easy to come by. "Char, Maria, you two stay up here, Boss is gonna be makin' his appearance soon but not soon enough. As soon as she goes over, create a distraction then get your fine asses on my six. We need to get across the border and meet up with the cavalry."

I gave my cell to Char, who pocketed it, knowin' that it wouldn't be no use to us if it takes a swim with me. They stayed in position while I scaled down, runnin' around the perimeter and leapin' off the cliff with no one but us the wiser. I saw Bella fall back just before I went under.

We ain't got no trouble swimmin', point of fact we're right as rain beneath the waves, but it cuts off our senses. It's annoyin', but the fact that we can slice through the water like it ain't there makes up for that bullshit. I still have my hearin', mostly, and I knew where Bella would be hittin' the water.

I could hear the chaos goin' on up top, but I kept my eyes on the prize as I swam through the water and gotta hold of the little lady just before the wolf they'd had watchin' for her made his move. I kicked out, makin' contact with the fucker and usin' the leverage to send us through the water and givin' us a good head start. Bella was alive, her heart beatin' wildly in her chest as she clung to me, but she needed to breathe. I brought us above water for a spell of oxygen for the human.

I kept us movin' as she gasped and spluttered herself a good lungful of air. I spun us as the enemy closed in, still in human form, tanned arms movin' him fast through the water, but not fast enough. I was just about to land another kick when one of my women landed right on top of the fucker. I snorted, pullin' Bella behind me now with the added back up of Maria, knowin' that that stunt would be somethin' we'd be laughin' over later. That fucker's face when Maria landed on his head was priceless. We headed along the coastline, climbin' up and out of the ragin' water as soon as we were far enough away and, with a soakin' wet and freezin' human wrapped around my torso, sprinted towards the border. I knew Jasper, and I knew full and well that he'd have the doc waitin' to take care of Bella. It was somethin' else I didn't need to worry or plan for then.

"Three, arrow formation from the east," Maria said calmly. I'd already sensed them, of course, who the fuck couldn't the way they blundered through the forest? But communication is never a bad habit to have.

I carried on runnin', knowin' to trust Maria to keep them away from me and my charge. I had one objective, and that was to get Bella to safety. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Maria jump sideways, kickin' out at a large tree and sendin' it flyin' into one of the wolves, while usin' the momentum to land a good and crunchin' kick to another. I lost sight of her as she leaped lithely into the air, somersaultin' up and over the last one and landed square on his back. The snap of his spine echoed behind me before her swift footsteps were back in sync with mine. She'd been trained well.

Char appeared next, jumpin' down from a tree to my right, her gorgeous form splattered bright red with blood and stinkin' just like what she'd likely torn apart. Char had always been the messy one.

"We've got another four coming, lover," she purred.

Two of them were tryin' to cut us off. Maria and Char worked together; dancin' like the deadly bitches they were while I came to a skiddin' halt and ducked under the frontal assault. Bella had a death grip on me as we skidded along the forest floor, the wolf flyin' over us and tackled mid air by a ragin', roarin' Jasper as he joined the fray. More were comin' up on us, I needed speed. I got my wish when Edward, black eyed and feral appeared before us. Instincts took over and I threw Bella, as gently as possible, over to him and he took off at his impressive speed as I jumped to my feet and ran to take on those that thought to thwart us.

For a small fuckin' tribe, these fuckers bread like rabbits, and there were more wolves litterin' the floor around us than I'd been expectin'. Still, we ain't no one to mess with and it was with a glee known only in battle that I threw myself into the fight.

Thing was, as much as I knew Jasper needed to kill and maim and kill again, he also needed to be with Edward and Bella right now. Revenge is a dish best served cold and I've no doubt in how Jasper operates. He'd want a clear head for whatever fate the wolves and their chief would be facin'.

"Border, now!" Jasper commanded, just as I knew he would, and we all turned and ran full out.

The Cullen's, minus Carlisle, Esme, and Alice, were all waitin' for us and makin' up our numbers. If the wolves had any sense at all, they'd be tuckin' tails and runnin' just as soon as they saw what was waitin' for them.

Jasper carried right on runnin', wantin' to see Bella and confirm her status, as we all joined the ranks and turned to the remainin' six wolves that were pawin' at the ground and growlin' up a storm. It was all theatrics and intimidation tactics; I knew they wouldn't risk crossin' the treaty line. Not with so many of them down for the count...or permanently. And we ain't lost a one of us. I smirked, relaxin' my stance and raisin' an eyebrow in question and challenge. To form, they walked backwards slowly before tuckin' tail and runnin' away.

Without lookin' to either side I held my arms out, and as I expected, got them both full of my women, their heads restin' on my chest. Jasper and Edward weren't the only ones that needed to make sure that no harm had come to their mates. It was one thing to know how well trained they were, to have seen them in action, and to trust their abilities. It was a-fucking-nother to expect that to mean you didn't give a shit. And my women? Fuck knows I give a shit about them.

I leant my head down, whisperin' as if that changed whether or not everyone else would be able to hear it, "I'm guessin' that this means they know we're here."

My only answer was a couple of snorted, but good natured, laughs and a smack to the chest.

We'd had to hightail it towards the road, I didn't want Seth to end up in any trouble from Edward or Jasper. They wouldn't exactly be in their right minds right about now, and any wolf would be an enemy, regardless of what Seth actually was. And that was the one that saved Bella. Without him, we would've been late, if there at all. And fuck knows what that ritual might've done or meant for her if it had gone ahead.

"Lover," Char caught my attention before she handed me my phone.

_**Get Bella's dad away from Billy's. She won't calm till she knows we have him. He's passed out in the living room – JW**_

"Sounds about right," I muttered to myself as I replied.

_**Consider it done, Boss. I'll be needin' Seth back, he's the one that clued us in – PW**_

"This should be interestin'."

Ten minutes later and we were skulkin' around in the shadows, watchin' the Black's little red house and all the not so little bodies within it. It was like watchin' Jerry Springer live, just without the tittie flashes and baby daddy issues.

"_We need to move in, NOW,"_ we all heard Jacob shout, the growl almost hidin' the whine, but not quite. _"They'll be expecting us to stay back, regroup; we can take them by surprise."_

"_We must eradicate their dirt from the world,"_ Billy added, and he didn't sound happy either. _"You will gather those uninjured and those well enough to fight, and you will go to their nest and kill them all. Treaty or no treaty, it is our duty!"_

"Is he for real? He knows what just happened, right?" Emmett muttered under his breath to me, followed by silent laughter.

I shook my head; nothing about that man would surprise me anymore. "I remember his father; he was a good man, sensible. It seems it skipped a generation."

Silence fell as I surveyed the situation. Goin' off heartbeats alone, I could tell that there were six wolfboys in the main room, and one human. A second human heartbeat was goin' slow in the back bedroom. Made our job easier to some extent. The plan was easy; distract, grab, retreat. And, if we had a chance at a little bloody fun, then we weren't about to pass that up either. We were all still high on battle fever. Even the Atypicals were still in battle mode, almost made them seem like real vampires.

"Girls, I need you stripped down and in front of the house. Emmett, you're with me on grab duty," I ordered, used to people just doin' as I said.

"What do you mean 'stripped down'?!" Rose hissed at me, Emmett noddin' behind her and not lookin' as if he was too opposed to the idea.

I looked Rose straight in the eye, "Exactly what you think it means, Rose. The best distraction is one aimed at the victim. They're a bunch of boys turned men, with all the hormonal changes that come along with that, but in epic levels. They're animals at heart, wolves. It might be distasteful to you, but titties are gonna be the best distraction we've got right now, other than a dump truck full of dog chow. And I ain't seein' none o'that around here, are you?" I didn't wait for her to answer. "They might hate our kind, but they love titties. And between the three of you, you've got three pairs of bouncin', round and rosie tipped titties. You three walk up to the front of the house nekkid and I guarantee you that they'll be pausin' long enough for Emmett and I to grab Charlie and us all to get out of there before even a one of them has spouted anythin' other than a woody, let alone a wolf. Understand?"

This wasn't about us catchin' an eye full, or even tryin' to debase the women. It was a tactic, pure and simple, and a good one. I didn't give a goddamn whether she liked it or not.

We kept up the starin' game over the space of a few seconds, and as I knew she would, it was Rose that gave in. There was logic in what I was sayin'. If there was a bunch of female's in there, it'd be me and Emmett sportin' the stripper package. But it wasn't. And that's just the way it was.

"Fine."

I smiled, and waited while the women got ready, gatherin' their clothes into a bundle and handin' it to Emmett for safe keepin'. Three nekkid, and impressive, ladies walked out into full view of the lounge window. As expected, all of the wolves strode out of the house, lookin' the women up and down. I didn't like it, and by Emmett's tense demeanour, he didn't like it either. But shit was how it was, and now it was our turn to do our part.

We ghosted around to the back of the house, pausin' at the squeakin' wheels of Billy's wheelchair as he made his slow way into the bedroom where Charlie was layin'. It would've been the perfect time to kill the bastard, which was what he deserved. But I already had a plan in place for that, somethin' nice and special, and just for him. The window was easily large enough to accommodate either me or Emmett, and we could see Charlie flat out on the bed as Billy looked down at him. We could hear the wolves out front, askin' the women what they were doin' instead of attackin'. Which was the point, of course, but it didn't fail to make me think even less of them. Seriously? This is the oldest trick in the book.

I was debatin' just bustin' on in there and knockin' Billy out, or to wait, when the old zealot made his own way out. For someone that knows there are three vamps outside the house, he was eerily calm. He had far too much faith in the pack. Especially after tonight. It was easy to pop the window open and slip in. Even easier to pick up Bella's dad and hand him out to Emmett, who was now holdin' the unconscious Charlie in one arm, and the women's clothin' in the other. Truthfully, I could've carried him out myself, but I was gettin' some sick form of satisfaction by havin' Emmett act like the ninja equivalent of a Busboy.

But, shit needed to stay professional, so I signalled for Emmett to pass me the clothes, and I tied the clothes up with Char's long sleeve shirt, keepin' it secure and motioned for Emmett take Charlie off to safety. Just in time. He hit the shadows of the tree line just as the first rip of a phase tore through the air. It was with a grin that I jumped up over the house to join' in the fight.

The fun was just gettin' started.

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**E/N I hope you enjoyed it! Review if you wanna.**


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